Golden Jubilee
by ohlookrandom
Summary: "Don't even try kissing me with that mouth of yours." MangaQuestShipping!
1. Chapter 1

Got these from livejournal :) Thanks Crimson Cataclysm for the tip :) It's my first time writing a one sentence drabble kind of story, so... Yeah okay I'll stop talking.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Sadly. Though I've put up my bid for it.

...

**01. Air:**  
The first time Sapphire realizes how much she needs Ruby, it's when she's at the bottom of the lake, without her Pokemon, and a leg that doesn't look like it should be bent that way; as two arms wrap around her she tries to breathe.

**02. Apples:**  
"I don't like apples," he mutters to a gleeful Sapphire, "I always think they're going to make my teeth go crooked."

**03. Beginning:**  
Within three moves, he's got her queen in a tight position, and she forces herself to stay calm, like she has in every situation; a smirk forms as she tells herself it's just the beginning of a _very, _very complicated game.

**04. Bugs:**  
"I can't believe you're not scared of bugs, you act enough like a girl anyway!"

**05. Coffee:**  
Ruby makes a note to never to give Sapphire coffee again, as she terrorizes the salesperson behind the counter, the same salesperson who had just complimented Sapphire on the new blouse Ruby had forced her to wear.

**06. Dark:**  
He holds her close as she gasps and sobs, but he can't help a surprised, soft smile as he realizes that his fearless jungle girl is actually scared of the _dark_.

**07. Despair:**  
In those dark moments, it's when they look at each other and feel something stirring within them, something they privately call hope.

**08. Doors:**  
Norman hears the front door slam, and he looks at his wife, simply muttering, "Well, they've had one of their fights again."

**09. Drink:**  
Sapphire is amused when she tells Ruby that his Pokemon look dehydrated, therefore causing him to frantically grab his canteen and practically shove the water down Nana's throat, telling it to drink up.

**10. Duty:**  
She sees it as her duty to toughen him, he sees it as his duty to soften her; everyone else sees it as their duty to shut them up and get them together.

**11. Earth:**  
"I swear, sometimes your head's so up in the clouds I wonder if you're on the right planet."

**12. End:**  
He holds her limp body in the rain, simply saying over and over, "This can't be the end, it can't be; wake up Sapph, wake up!"

**13. Fall:**  
The one thing that he hates about flying on Sapphire's Pilo is that sometimes, it will swoop without warning and throw him off, just for the fun of watching him yell as he plummets.

**14. Fire:**

Green notes wryly that despite Sapphire's blue outfit, she seems fiercer than Ruby, who wears red but moves to the tempo of a calmer ocean.

**15. Flexible:**  
She smacks her forehead when he goes into a five minute rapturous speech about the many ways Mimi can show off its acrobatic skills to the judges; but secretly, she admits that she likes hearing his voice and adapting to his ideas of beauty.

**16. Flying:**  
Sapphire likes hopping on Pilo and taking off into the blue skies, often dragging Ruby along; despite his initial fear of heights, she knows that he eventually gives in because he likes being next to her.

**17. Food:**  
Both of them are secretly amazed at how much Diamond can eat at an All-You-Can-Eat contest; everyone else is amazed at how secretive they think they're being, sharing the same plate of food and holding hands under the table.

**18. Foot:**  
Zuzu can't help but burst out laughing at how stupid Ruby looks hopping around, clutching his foot because Sapphire accidentally stabbed it, thinking it was a stray Ekans… or something.

**19. Grave:**

He thinks- no, he knows- that it's selfish of him to want to die first so he'll never have to go through the pain of seeing her name on her gravestone.

**20. Green:**  
"Interesting color you got there," Ruby comments a little too happily when Sapphire first sees the dress he created for her on April Fool's Day.

**21. Head:**  
His head is a little too big and isn't quite as proportional to his body, but when he rests it on her head and wraps his long arms around her, she finds that she can't really complain.

**22. Hollow:**

When she finally breathes and leaves him, he can't help but break down and sob, _anything _to help fill the empty hole that consumes his entire heart; chasms that yawn and swallow everything that ever existed.

**23. Honor:**  
"But why is the 'h' _silent_?" Sapphire asks for the tenth time that day, causing Ruby to seriously wonder if he might get a concussion from banging his head against the wall.

**24. Hope:**  
In that brief moment when the dust kicks up and Ruby can't see anything save the roars of Kyogre and Groudon, he experiences a moment where he believes (prays) Sapphire is all right and out of the way of this mess.

**25: Light:**

It's a testament to how strong Ruby has gotten when he silently picks up a protesting Sapphire with no effort whatsoever and carries her back to her father's lab despite her very vocal- and physical- attacks.

**26. Lost:**  
"I feel like this is the fiftieth time we've passed this tree," Ruby grumbles as Sapphire gulps and tries to conceal the fact that she had been reading the map of the region of Kanto this entire time.

**27. Metal:**

Sapphire doesn't know why metal reminds her of Ruby- it is cold while he is warm, inflexible while he bends to her every whim.

**28. New:**

"You don't like it?" he asks in confusion as she fingers the new bandanna he gave her; she looks up, and with a familiar growl, says simply, "It has _sequins_ in it."

**29. Old:**

As they go from twelve year olds to taller nineteen year olds, the seniors notice with amusement that despite their advancement in years, Ruby and Sapphire still bicker like children.

**30. Peace:**  
Norman and Professor Birch enjoy the momentary silence that sits between them, choosing to ignore the muffled yelling that's coming from outside.

**31. Poison:**  
"Romeo was stupid for drinking the poison to begin with," she declares, and while Ruby agrees, he gives her a tender peck on her lips, murmuring, "If it was an excuse to kiss Juliet, I don't blame him."

**32. Pretty:**  
Despite Blue, Yellow, Platinum and Crystal assuring her that she looks fantastic in the halter neck blue dress, she only believes them when she steps outside and Ruby's jaw hits the ground.

**33. Rain:**  
Ruby doesn't like the rain; it reminds him that it gets his Pokemon wet, and more importantly, it reminds him that there'll be no flying on Pilo _with Sapphire. _

**34. Regret:**

While Gold moans about how he never took his chances with Crystal, Ruby zones out, thinking gratefully about how he never has to deal with that.

**35. Roses:**  
He overhears her telling his mom about how much she _hates _roses; so the next day, he shows up with a bouquet of lilies instead.

**36. Secret:**  
They think that they're keeping their relationship under wraps and nobody knows they're dating; so they're considerably startled one day when Red and Green sit down, fold their arms and seriously ask them if they've had 'The Talk' yet.

**37. Snakes:**  
When Professor Birch tells him about how Sapphire used to dislike snakes, he puts a rubber Ekans in the cave just for the fun of it; later, as he nurses a bruised nose, he wonders aloud how the heck was he supposed to know she _still_ _despised _them?

**38. Snow:**  
During winter, they travel to Snowpoint City to meet up with the other Dex Holders; Sapphire is so cold that Ruby hugs her the whole time, earning himself a playful snowball in the head by Emerald (who mutters gleefully to himself, "Not dating, my foot," and claims ten bucks from a grumbling Gold).

**39. Solid:**

When Sapphire wakes up screaming from the ghosts of the past, he jolts awake and scrambles over to her sleeping bag; she eventually falls asleep in his strong arms because it feels like he's always going to be there.

**40. Spring:**

"Don't they say love is in the air during spring?" she asks innocently, and gets a kick out of watching Ruby blush and stammer something about how he had forgotten about the aircar incident (even though she hadn't even asked).

**41. Stable:**

Blaine's nice enough to invite them to the stables where he keeps his Ponyta, and allows them to take a ride on them across the plains; Sapphire wonders how Ruby's so balanced on his horse while she's practically falling off.

**42. Strange:**

Sapphire and Ruby agree that both Gold and Silver are one strange pair; they don't know that the two Johto boys say the same thing about them.

**43. Summer:**

"No," he emphasizes as patiently as he can, "Summer is _before _autumn, not after winter," and she waves off the explanations, saying it's all the same in Hoenn anyway.

**44. Taboo:**  
How was she supposed to know that she couldn't wear white after Memorial Day?

**45. Ugly:**

Ruby chokes on his ice when Sapphire tentatively brings up the question of her image; he can't stop coughing long enough to tell her that in no way does she resemble a hideous monster, in fact she's the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.

**46. War:**

"Make peace, not war," she announces proudly, quoting from the book she's actually reading, and he snorts, not looking up from his sewing as he says "Well, they've obviously never met us, have they?"

**47. Water:**  
When Ruby and her fight, she often storms off to the lake, where she can stare at the water and be reminded of the water type Pokemon Ruby always has by his side.

**48. Welcome:**

In every city, Sapphire is welcomed as a renowned Dex Holder, but she's never received a warmer welcome than her boyfriend lounging by the mouth to the secret hideout, grinning as he holds his arms out to her.

**49. Winter:**  
"I hate winter," she says to him from the comfort of Goldenrod; he sniffles, sneezes and then grumbles into his phone, "So do I."

**50. Wood:**  
When they're both dragged up to Mt. Silver to visit Red, a very irate Green sends them to go get wood for the fire Red has apparently neglected to make for himself; they disappear for hours, and end up coming back with less firewood than Green expected.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ah, good ol' MangaQuest. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I wish I did, but then, don't we all?**

…

1 - Comfort

_It's not his fault that he hits on every girl he sees_, Crystal thinks as she sobs into the ever loyal Yellow's shoulder; the thought doesn't help her feel better, but Gold showing up on her doorsteps later that evening with a bunch of soft white lilies does bring a smile to her face.

2 – Kiss

Green merely arches an eyebrow when Blue runs into his gym, interrupts his gym battle and drags him to the back room to tell him about Gold and Crystal locking lips; he promptly throws her out (but smirks when he remembers what he saw last Sunday in Professor Oak's lab).

3 – Soft

Her hair is delightfully soft, reminding Gold of cotton candy; when he mentions this in a thoughtful tone, Crystal simply smacks him for making her crave the sweet treat.

4 – Pain

"Don't tell me to calm down, Super Serious Gal," Gold snaps, cradling his injured Pichu in his arms, "When it's in pain, _I'm _in pain, or do you not care!"

5 – Potatoes

"I didn't know your family specialized in selling potatoes," Crystal exclaims, and Gold leans against the counter, flashes a grin and replies: "There's a lot you don't know about me, Super Serious Gal."

6 – Rain

Gold loves it when it pours and the water runs down his window; the water pools at the bottom of his window frame and shimmers like crystals.

7 – Chocolate

"Happy Valentine's Day?" a sheepish Gold offers, holding the box of chocolates up to Crystal's eyes- the girl glares at him and stalks off, fuming at the fact that he thinks he's forgotten Valentine's Day and not her _birthday._

8 – Happiness

"It doesn't exist," Crystal says flatly when Sapphire tells her about how happy she is with Ruby- the smile is wiped off Sapphire's face and Crystal instantly feels bad for ruining her moment; yet she's somehow managed to convince herself that happiness doesn't exist for couples in love.

9 – Telephone  
Gold has to listen to Green droning on and on about how busy Crystal is and how he really shouldn't be calling her during 'working hours', yet when he hears an indignant yell and the sound of a breathless Crystal going, "Gold?" into the phone, it's all worth it.

10 – Ears  
The first thing that gave him away when he lied was the glowing tips of his ears; Crystal exploited it for all she was worth.

11 – Name

He's called her 'Super Serious Gal' so many times that she hesitates when someone calls her by her _real _name.  
**  
**12 – Sensual  
The way she kisses, Gold thinks, cupping her face in his hands, ought to be outlawed in every region, from Kanto to Sinnoh.

13 – Death  
It is Crystal who squeezes his shoulder when he realizes that his mother is dead, and there's no bringing her back; it is Crystal who doesn't hesitate to pull Gold in for a hug and cry along with him.

14 – Sex  
Blue smacks her face when Silver comes to see her with a swollen lip; his explanation was that he asked Gold if he had done it with Crystal yet.

15 – Touch

If he had known that a single touch from her could take him in, wash him over and pull him under the tide, he would have never flirted with every girl in sight (because really, their flirty strokes didn't compare to a touch of her finger).  
**  
**16 – Weakness  
Mega knows that despite the type disadvantage she's not likely to succumb so easily to Explotaro, but she's not so sure about her trainer's willpower against the boy.

17 – Tears  
He's surprised to find himself crying, too, after he realizes what he's done to Crystal.

18 – Speed  
Crystal runs faster, praying that her long legs outlast his strong feet because everything about them is about speed, and the slower one always loses.

19 – Wind  
The best moment of their relationship, Crystal reflects, was when he took her to the hilltop where they sat, watched the sunset, and let whispered confessions linger on the tiny breaths of wind.

20 – Freedom  
When a nervous Pearl comes to find Crystal (she still has no idea why Gold would send _Pearl_), she bluntly tells him that without Gold, she's never felt so free (it's a lie, of course, she feels the chains weighing her down every day).

21 – Life  
"Life's about give and take, and I don't understand why you're always _taking _and I'm always _giving you everything I have_."

22 – Jealousy  
She tries to tell herself she's not jealous that Gold gets to roam everywhere he wants; he tries to tell himself that he's not jealous Crystal has such a stable life.

23 – Hands  
He stares at the two hands on his chest- he hears a stifled sob, turns around, sees a blue haired girl dashing away- he raises his own hand to try and stop her, but realizes that it's already too late.

24 – Taste

He tasted like citrus and chocolate, Crystal remembers- she promptly drops the chocolate covered orange slices into the trashcan, deciding to tell Ruby later that Professor Oak unknowingly ate his birthday gift to her.

25 – Devotion  
"Maybe you need to learn the meaning of devotion," Silver drawls when Gold pours out everything to him; when Gold protests, Silver simply says, "So prove it to her."

26 – Forever  
He shows up at her door again, and this time she just stares at him- he doesn't budge, saying, "I'll wait out here forever if I have to."

27 – Blood  
She can ordinarily stand blood, but the sight of so much blood coming from a dazed Gold positively sickens her and she wishes that she never has to see it again.

28 – Sickness  
"I told you not to drag me out into the rain, because I _told _you we'd both get sick," she snaps into the videophone, and he grins from ear to ear, despite the thermometer in his mouth: "But it was worth it, wasn't it?"

29 – Melody  
Neither of them could sing to save their lives- well Crystal could carry a tune; but secretly, Red thought that they might be able to create a pretty amazing song.

30 – Star  
"I like your star earrings," Gold stammers, and Crystal tugs nervously at her earlobe, smiling like a stupid schoolgirl.

31 – Home

"You're welcome to call this home if you want," Gold offers, smirking and she's tempted to smack him, yet she refrains because she senses that underneath the flirty tone, he's making a genuine offer.  
**  
**32 – Confusion

Gold stares at the pile of paperwork for a good five minutes before reaching for the first piece of boring looking article on top- Crystal takes pity on the flabbergasted boy and helps him with his paperwork for the rest of the afternoon.

33 – Fear  
She supposes that the initial hesitation she felt when Gold asked her out was because of the fear that he would see she wasn't as put together as she tried to be.

34 – Lightning  
Usually, Crystal detested storms, and by default, lightning; yet the way Gold commanded his Pichu to use Thundershock fascinated her (although she suspected that she was more enamored with the trainer, not the attack).

35 – Bonds  
The only way you could describe the bond between Gold and Crystal was _strange_.

36 – Market  
It sounded odd, but the first time Crystal admitted to herself that she was in love with Gold was when he took her to the Goldenrod Market; the way he got so animated while explaining the different products revealed a softer side she hadn't seen before (and would like to see more of in the future).

37 – Technology  
He silently thanks the genius who invented videophones, because if not, he would have to spend several months without talking to Crystal.

38 – Gift  
Silver groans in exasperation: "For the last time, Gold, buying your girlfriend a coupon for a free meal isn't really a _fair _gift."

39 – Smile  
Green rolls his eyes, Silver calls him clichéd, Red grins goofily, and Blue gushes about how sweet it is; but Gold holds stubbornly to the fact that the first reason why he fell in love with Crystal was her smile.

40 – Innocence  
The downside to dating Gold- losing your innocent mind within a couple weeks.

41 – Completion  
"I'm sending the both of you out to finish this Pokedex," Professor Oak declares and Crystal feels her heart soar; later, Gold hears Green say to his grandfather, "Nicely done, Gramps."

42 – Clouds  
"I think that one looks like a Snorlax," Crystal says, pointing with her free hand to a white cloud- she turns her head to realize that Gold has fallen asleep, his fingers still intertwined with hers.

43 – Sky  
"It's so big," Crystal says one day, observing the way blue skies rolled across the Johto region; Gold opens his mouth, saying "That's what she-" before Crystal decides to shut him up with a kiss.

44 – Heaven  
When he was with Crystal, hearing her laugh at one of his jokes, or just having her with him was all Gold needed to know of heaven-

45 – Hell  
**-**and her leaving the next day for a journey (for six months!) was all he needed to know of hell.

46 – Sun  
The way his eyes gleam like gold dazzles her sometimes and reminds her of the bright, majestic Sun-

47 – Moon  
-and the way her eyes speak of rolling tides reminds him of the alluring pull of the Moon.

48 – Waves

They know that their relationship will never escape the rolling, turbulent waves of fate; but the both of them are willing to stick together and ride out the storm.****

49 – Hair  
He is very pleasantly surprised to find that she smells like strawberries, instead of the lavender he expected her to be.

50 – Supernova  
When they're separate, they create their own light and worlds; when they're together, Blue fondly observes, they create a supernova that far outshines the world around them (and it didn't look like it was going to burn out anytime soon).


	3. Chapter 3

Oldrival FTW! (Although I'm a major fan of Frantic myself…)

Oh and if there are any Gymshippers out there, there's a nice little snippet (or several) in here *insert big grin* If there are none, then uh… skip over it *big thumbs up*

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Pokemon. Again, I wish I did (where is Jirachi when I need him?)

…

**one : always;**  
"You never change," Green mutters to himself, leaning his head against his head as Blue somehow manages to convince the ice-cream man to give her a discount on the huge sundae she is currently purchasing.

**two : bay;**  
He never says it, but his favorite place to go is the Cerulean Cape; the only person who knows about it is Blue, who drops in now and then (but then again he can't say that he minds).

**three : bees;**  
"They won't _hurt _you, Blue," Green says in exasperation; two hours later, it is the brown-haired girl who's wearing a smirk as he dabs at his bee sting.

**four : bound;**  
He mentions briefly to Red how he feels like they've been unceremoniously thrown together with Blue as a twist of fate; Red sheds his dense personality for a moment to smile knowingly and say, "I think you and Blue are bound together tighter than I am with either of you, y'know?"

**five : captive;**  
Neither of them are sure who's captive to what – he to her charm, or her to his strength.

**six : cherish;**  
When she turns eighteen and leaves for Sinnoh to pursue a career in modeling, Green spends the night in his room going through old pictures and letters.

**seven : child;**

"Well, you're still a child, the way you always want your way all the time," he retorts sharply, and she steps back, a little taken aback at how snappy the banter has become.

**eight : clouds;**  
"Aw, it's going to rain," Blue sighs when she drags Green out of the lab, and Green shrugs: "Another reason to go back indoors," he says a little too cheerfully (well as cheerful as Green could ever get).

**nine : cry;**  
She keeps repeating that she hasn't been crying, but Green stares at her for so long that she breaks down again and begins to sob into his shoulders.

**ten : cryptic;**  
"Just once," she sighs into the Pokegear, "I wish he would give me a _normal _present instead of sending me on wild-goose chases and scavenger hunts to find my gift!"

**eleven : educate;**  
He spends two weeks trying to teach her about the more advanced research done on the Pokemon of far-off places like Sinnoh and Hoenn; later he discovers from a sheepish Yellow that she just wanted to spend more time with him and win a bet with a cocky Gold.

**twelve : electric;**  
He watches his Golduck crumple, shocked by a Thunderbolt from Red's Pikachu; he sees Blue applauding in the audience and suddenly feels a tingling sensation that he suspects has _nothing _to do with the yellow rodent.

**thirteen : erase;**  
When they're twenty-one, she breaks it off and tells him that they would be better off forgetting everything they've done together- he doesn't look her in the eye as he says flatly: "You know it's not that easy, Blue."

**fourteen : fall;**  
And when he finally walks away, she wonders- briefly- if she's just hit rock bottom.

**fifteen : far;**  
"Just a couple more minutes and we'll finally reach Pewter, and then you can _stop complaining_," Green says to a visibly tired Blue; he silently admits that he hadn't minded the company on the long trek.

**sixteen : fear;**  
Blue would never have guessed that the ever stoic, strong and silent Green would be scared of _clowns_ (so guess what she talked Red into getting for Green's surprise birthday party the next year?).

**seventeen : fight;**  
When they're twenty, they have their first real fight over the videophone: he claims that he's busy in the Gym and she claims he doesn't care enough to visit her in Sinnoh- they know it's the same fight they've had before, but this one seems worse (maybe because both are actually invested in a relationship together this time).

**eighteen : firm;**  
"No, Blue, I will not marry you on your birthday, and threatening to show everyone my baby pictures will not work."

**nineteen : forget;**  
Two months after their breakup, she hears from a sympathetic Yellow that it seems like Green has forgotten about her; even though she was the one who told him to, it seems like the dagger twists a little in her heart.

**twenty : games;**  
When they're nineteen, Blue's little games pay off; Green finally asks her out and she declares in her heart that it's a tie (after all it is a win-win situation).

**twenty-one : gone;**  
She comes back from Sinnoh and he is gone like the wind; nobody knows where he's gone and she spends the next few days with Yellow, dazed at how little she has kept in touch about her ex.

**twenty-two : grace;**  
He's not as fast as Red, or strong (Red, she admits, has become a _monster_) but if there's one thing Green has always had over his rival, it's the way his Pokemon move as though they own the battlefield around them (sort of like how Green takes her heart in one smooth stroke).

**twenty-three : haunt;**  
He hears from Sinnoh (Diamond and Pearl, to be exact) that Blue's planning a trip back to Viridian City, so he packs his bag, leaves his backup team in charge of the gym and goes away to Cerulean, where he knows Misty and Brock are staying for the holidays- but even their cheerful attitudes do not banish the memories that haunt him late at night.

**twenty-four : heal;**  
During a battle, Misty thrashes his Golduck with her Starmie's Icebeam; she tosses him an Ice Heal later but Brock, who somehow senses his turmoil, tells him "You're going to need more than that to fix your problems, buddy."

**twenty-five : heat;**  
"It's smoldering," Blue complains, "And it's not just because I'm sitting right- _Green!_" and she dashes after the Gym Leader, who in a rare moment of mischief, decides to dump the bucket of ice-cold water over her head.

**twenty-six : hero;**

"You always have to be the hero, don't you?" she asked bitterly when she hears about how Green saved a kid from being trampled by a wild Rhydon- and deep down she knows she's jealous because she would like him to be _her _hero, and only hers.

**twenty-seven : humble;**  
Green is a Gym Leader; co-savior of the world countless times, filial grandson- and yet, he doesn't take credit for any of these things, Blue notes to herself (and she figures it's part of the reason why she's so determined to make him notice her).

**twenty-eight : ideals;**  
"Let them figure it out," Green sighs for the hundredth time when Blue pushes him to help Red and Yellow get together; she protests, and he says the same line he's been saying all this while : "Because it's their _own _problem and I'm not going to stoop to your level!"

**twenty-nine : illusion;**  
He sits in his Gym one sunny day and wonders if their relationship was a nice, happy illusion.

**thirty : knight;**  
Blue bangs on his door one day and shoves a package into his hands before skipping away happily- she has no doubt that he will dutifully show up to her house later dressed in the chain-mail suit that she gave him (symbolizing how much she valued him as her hero).

**thirty-one : lady;**  
"Not till you learn how to behave like a lady," Green drawls from behind his book when Blue demands to know when he's going to ask her out.

**thirty-two : liberate;**  
Perhaps one of the reasons why Green fell for Blue was because being around her made him feel free, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

**thirty-three : parting;**  
The day comes for her to leave, and he is nowhere in sight; but somehow two roses magically appear in her bag when she checks, and she shakes her head, muttering wryly to herself, "Well, it's no teary farewell, but it'll do."

**thirty-four : pictures;**  
Blue realizes one day that there are no decent pictures of her and Green, and she immediately sets out to remedy that, much to the Gym Leader's aggravation.

**thirty-five : rainbow;**  
"Rainbow! Make a wish!" Blue shrieks, and Green just sighs, "Pesky woman, it's a shooting star you wish on, not a rainbow."

**thirty-six : real;**  
It's pure coincidence that Green bumps into a depressed Blue while they're in Cerulean- both of them stare at each other for a minute, not daring to believe that this is real.

**thirty-seven : rescue;**  
She mentions one day that she's never actually rescued him from anything, while he's saved her skin so many times she's lost count; he secretly acknowledges the fact that she's saved him from a life of dreary boredom.

**thirty-eight : ring;**  
He takes her to a coffee shop Misty recommended in Cerulean; noticing the ring on her finger, he asks about it and she nonchalantly replies with "No one special."

**thirty-nine : sanity;**  
There were many times when he sympathized with Crystal, because he knew that his relationship with Blue was about as crazy as her relationship with Gold.

**forty : scream;**  
Green becomes very, very alarmed when Blue screams his name at the top of her voice- he scrambles outside to realize that it's only his Ninetales playfully biting at Blue's skirt, and he can't help but choke down a chuckle (of course he doesn't laugh out loud, and later he lets Ninetales out of its Pokeball for a short while longer).

**forty-one : search;**  
He reluctantly helps comb Viridian Forest for Blue's Jiggly, suspecting that the conniving con artist wants more than just her lost Pokemon back- he's right, he realizes when somehow she ends up 'tripping' on top of him, but somehow he can't bring himself to mind.

**forty-two : sentiment;**  
Green walks in on a guilty Misty and Brock jumping apart from what seemed like a tender embrace and all sorts of emotions rush up: surprise, embarrassment, and most of all, nostalgia, because he remembers when Silver walked in on him and Blue doing the exact same thing.

**forty-three : shallow;**  
The boys who whistle at Blue are sadly shallow, Green thinks to himself, because they would never bother to find out what sort of deeper, complex layers lay below Blue's happy, flirty exterior (layers even he hasn't fully deciphered).

**forty-four : silence;**  
"So what about you?" Blue finally asks, and Green remembers the awkward date with the girl who was perfect in every way, but who wasn't Blue; he simply allows the heavy, tense silence to prolong for a moment before replying in a raspy voice, "No one… special."

**forty-five : soul;**  
"Do you have no soul?" Blue yells at him one night when they're having another one of their heated arguments; he flinches before his face turns stony, leaning forward and saying in a dark tone: "I have a soul, but I bet you just never bothered to really look for it since you've always treated this like a _game_!"

**forty-six : stuck;**  
While he was stuck being a statue, he had tons of time to think about the girl who was just as petrified behind him; he finally admitted to himself that she meant more to him as a friend than someone like Yellow, but he would never say it out loud.

**forty-seven : victory;**  
When Blue feels Green's arms pull her a little closer and he lowers his lips to hers for a second time, she celebrates her long awaited victory before losing her focus- Green, for all his silent nature, is one heck of a kisser.

**forty-eight : war;**  
They've seen each other fighting the enemy and they know how fierce each other can become; they don't have quite the violent ferocity they bring to the battlefield, but they're locked in a battle nonetheless (and both of them aren't quite accustomed to losing).

**forty-nine : wings;**  
"How much do you like birds?" a way too sneaky Gold asks Green, and Green scowls as he replies "They're okay, wh- _whoooaaaa_!" and he yells in horror as the familiar shadow of a Zapdos drops down, snatches him up, tosses him in the air and lets him land on the back of the huge lightning bird next to a pesky, obnoxiously smiling brown-haired girl, who greets him with: "Haven't seen you around, why haven't you called?"

**fifty : wound;**  
The clock strikes noon and Green realizes that he and Blue have been sitting in Cerulean's coffee shop for a while, making conversation; he remembers that Misty and Brock have invited him to lunch, so he asks Blue to come with him and meet the other two- he notices that even as she accepts and stands up, her ring is already discarded, sparkling disconsolately under the chair.


	4. Chapter 4

**WHOOOOO COMMONERSHIPPING. (**done because Hanon Diethel so politely asked me to. Yay you!)

Also, thanks to all the readers who added this story to their Favorites list! I appreciate it you guys! :D

A word to the wise. I knew practically next to nothing about Platina and Diamond, since I didn't get to finish reading the arc- I didn't even know if it was Platinum or Platina. So… Sorry in advance for any OOCness, but I really wanted to bring across the concept of a _possibly _one-sided, _possibly _I'm-totally-in-love-with-you-but-I-need-to-hide-it-because-I'm-scared relationship. Oh, I'll just leave it up to you guys.

Disclaimer: I know not what I do. Therefore, please do not sue- For I do not own Pokemon; and I'm almost sure that you- YEAH, YOU- Well, NEITHER DO YOU!

I don't know. Chocolate chip cookies at midnight make me a little loopy. *hides in a hole*

* * *

**01. anniversary**  
"Why are you all dressed up?" she wants to know, and while Pearl groans, Diamond wants to smack his face when he realizes she's forgotten that four years ago, today was the day that they all met each other.

**02. new year's  
**"Happy New Year!" Diamond calls as around him, his friends whoop and set off fireworks- he smiles shyly at Platina and she smiles gaily back, but as usual she fails to remember the traditional New Year's kiss (or at least the _modified_ tradition he had Pearl tell her about).

**03. halloween**

"I just don't understand why people say 'trick or treat'," Platina says, and Diamond shrugs, munching on his candy: "Doesn't matter," he gets out around a mouthful of chewy taffy, "You still get to eat!"

**04. firsts**

The first time she sees him, she feels a zing that she tells herself is respect for her bodyguards showing up on time.

**05. middles**

Platina smiles when Diamond drops his belongings into Pearl's arms just to rush over to the videophone and talk to her.

**06. lasts  
**"Please don't fight, both of you are my friends and I can't stand watching my two best friends fight-" and as she pleads she sees a look of disappointment flit over Diamond's face, but she can't figure out why.

**07. nostalgia**

"Don't you ever wish for the good old days?" he asks wistfully, "just you and me?" and she reminds him that Pearl was with them- he smiles a little sadly and says, "Yeah, Pearl was with us…"

**08. rendezvous  
**"Stay here," Pearl tells her as the Tyranitar rampages through a forest looking for them, "Diamond will come find you later-" and she wants to ask, _Why Diamond in particular? _but finds that she doesn't mind.

**09. death**

Things were never the same once either of them grew apart; it ached even more now that she knew he was never going to come back.

**10. life**

He scratches the back of his ear, not knowing what to say- Pearl's already run off after his Pokemon and yelled his goodbyes; finally he lowers his gaze and mutters, "See you around; have a good life," and he's so emotionally distraught that he doesn't realize how cold that sounded.

**11. birthday**

"Happy birthday, Pearl!" all the Dex Holders yell, and Ruby has his mother snap a group picture- both he and Sapphire examine it later and are amused to find both Platina and Diamond holding hands (they promptly get into an argument over whether the two Sinnoh teenagers are in a relationship).

**12. wedding**

"We'll both get married someday, won't we?" Platina asks wistfully as Daisy and Bill walk down the aisle- Diamond chokes loudly on the rice balls he had been sneakily eating, and up from the altar, Green shoots him a death glare.

**13. spring**

"He's _still _down with allergies?" Platina asks disbelievingly; Pearl nods, and with a sigh, Platina gives him the fruit basket she had brought along just in case: "Tell him I said get well soon."

**14. summer**

Summer's when Pearl drags Diamond to the comedy convention down in Hoenn to improve and sharpen their skills; for the month that he is gone, she finds that she does miss the quieter boy somewhat terribly.

**15. fall**

"I don't like it," she says decisively, "It's the month right before winter and after summer and it doesn't seem to have an identity of its own-" she pauses, and Diamond realizes that she's waiting for him to say something, so he agrees (even though he was simply watching her lips move without actually listening).

**16. winter**

She suggests that all the Dex Holders convene in Snowpoint City for the winter holidays; Diamond observes Ruby hugging a freezing Sapphire from behind and wishes silently that Platina _didn't _have the sense to bring a thick winter jacket.

**17. morning**

He was always the last one down in the morning, but his two friends had very different reactions: Pearl would huff and say "Finally!" while Platina would just look up and smile warmly at him.

**18. afternoon**

He likes the afternoon because it means lunch; when she's pressed, she insists that she has no preference for time of day.

**19. evening**

Again, Diamond likes the evening because it means dinner; she then makes the excuse that evenings mean a good night's rest (and maybe sweet dreams, but she admits it to no one).

**20. late**

He apologizes as he slides into his chair; she smiles, unruffled, saying "Better late than never."

**21. black**

As the Arbok rears back and hisses before slithering quickly the way it came, Diamond holds his injured arm and tries to stop the poison from snaking through his body; his attempts are futile, and as the world begins to darken, he sees Platina's face.

**22. white  
**Diamond anxiously twirls the white rose, trying to find an appropriate simile since snow was _so _clichéd- the church doors swing open and he looks up to realize that white is as pristine as the wedding dress Platina is wearing.

**23. grey**

"Don't faint," Pearl says warily when he tells Diamond the news; his friend looks shattered as he sinks into a chair, whispering, "She's getting _married_?"

**24. pink**

He's always loved it when she blushes; pink looks amazing on roses, and Platina was a rose if he ever saw one.

**25. blue**

He really can't blame Pearl for conspiring with Blue to get him and Platina together; in the end, it backfires and leaves a very confused heiress with marshmallows in her hair and him with honey smeared over his face.

**26. yellow**

Not to give up, Pearl sends the innocent girl to probe Platina about her dream guy- she blinks a little confusedly at Yellow and replies, "Oh… I wasn't really thinking about a dream guy…"

**27. red**

Diamond represses an unfamiliar urge to murder Pearl when the blonde suggests oh-so-casually that the both of them should go up to Mt. Silver to visit Red (when they _clearly_ saw Red arguing with Green earlier that day); he's very surprised, however, when Platina lights up and says, "Another adventure? That sounds like fun!"

**28. orange**

He mentions that Red and Yellow are somewhat compatible together; she insists that they do not need complicated relationships at this stage of life.

**29. green**

"Don't even," Diamond groans when Pearl suggests bringing the Gym Leader into the mix.

**30. spectrum**

To him, they're at totally different ends- she's so high up that she wouldn't even consider a commoner like him; he's so lowly that he can only watch from afar and think that he doesn't really have a chance (but like his namesake, he's hardy and doesn't crumble that easily).

**31. kaleidoscope**

"_This _is what commoners do?" she asks, puzzled, as Diamond hands her the tiny kaleidoscope; she looks through it and is immediately fascinated at how the colors dance: "It's beautiful!" she exclaims, and Diamond says "Yeah, you are," before he realizes what he's said.

**32. facets**

She observes the facets on the small diamond her latest suitor has sent over; strangely she's not really thinking about the sender, but about the boy whose namesake she holds in her hand.

**33. ray**

Diamond grabs her and leaps to the side as Cyrus fires blindly; his arm feels warm on her back, and the desire to have this last forever flashes through her mind before she pushes it away, telling herself survival came first.

**34. dull**

He can't meet her eyes as he shakes her husband's hand, then hers- she finds him later, standing alone, and sees that his eyes are devoid of the usual emotion and sparkle that made Diamond _Diamond. _

**35. stripes**

"What do you think?" she asks, twirling in a striped dress, and Diamond simply shakes his head; "Anything but stripes," he tells her while thinking, _Although if you tried, you'd still look beautiful._

**36. spots**

"I take that back, _anything _but stripes and spots!"

**37. gold**

The Johto charmer has tried hitting on Platina so many times that Diamond feels like he's going to barf or punch Gold- punching, although unlike him, seems more likely.

**38. silver**

Why couldn't Platina be nice to someone like _Silver_, someone who rarely talked, let alone flirt?

**39. shine**

The casket gleams under the bright sunlight, and Platina thinks bitterly that it's life's irony; Diamond out of the three of them shone the most and now he was gone- and now she didn't even make any sense, she concludes.

**40. leaves**

Autumn kicks in and the trees shed their leaves; on impulse, Diamond grabs Platina's hand and runs with her through the maelstrom of orange and red foliage- she laughs all the way, feeling adrenaline kick through her veins.

**41. motion**

Every move she makes drives him mad; it's lasted for seven years and it's not a simple crush anymore.

**42. cool**

Platina wakes up from her feverish state to find Diamond's refreshingly cold hand on her forehead, and as he removes it and whispers to someone, "She has a fever," she grabs his hand and places it on her forehead, murmuring "Don't… don't leave."

**4****3. young****  
**When they were thirteen, he thought she was a friend he had temporary feelings for; when they were twenty, he woke up one morning realizing that he had always loved her from the start and now she was gone to someone else.

**44. last****  
**It kills Platina to know that she was the last one to see him alive- he didn't call Pearl to tell him that he was going on a journey, he called _her_ and she didn't stop him when she clearly knew how.

**4****5. wrong****  
**At twenty-three years old, three years after his death and Platina's marriage, an exhausted Sapphire gets a call from a hysterical Platina, who sobs over and over "It was all one huge mistake."

**46. gentle****  
**He was always gentle with her, and deep down she knew that it went further than his usual kind nature.

**47. one****  
**She used to think that he and Pearl were one inseparable being, and now she knows better- they're two separate people, and though she claims that she doesn't have favorites, she prefers Diamond's quiet, kind personality over Pearl's loud, confident one.

**4****8. thousand****  
**Of the thousand memories he had Platina, Diamond remembered best the one of her eating his homemade chocolates, commenting that she'd never tasted anything so good in her entire life.

**49. king**  
His name is Elroy, she says quietly, and his name means king- Diamond smiles and his heart aches terribly; but he lets it go because he figures that a queen like her deserves a king, not plain old diamonds.

**50. learn****  
**He remembers the last time he saw her before he left to help with Professor Birch's research in Hoenn- he remembers the wave they exchanged before he walked over the horizon, and sitting there in the solid wooden pew he bitterly thinks, _Time waits for no one; _six months later she stands in front of a marble grave and murmurs the same words, not letting her husband see the silent tears that fall like rain.

* * *

I realize that in two of these 4 chapters, I've involved character death and some morbid event in each relationship. I defend myself by saying that relationships are _hard_, and in the second and third chapters, because both parties are so different they're bound to clash sometime. And well, for Ruby/Sapphire and Platina/Diamond, I needed _some _way to show that they truly did care for each other. Um... Yeah. I think I should quit being so morbid. :D

Soooooo? Let me know what you think! *big grin* The review button is calling your name… calling it, I say!


	5. Dark

Well, here it is. The first drabble fleshed out :D This one is 06 from the first chapter- therefore I pronounce it FRANTICSHIPPING! First time doing this- rather nervous actually. *does a tap dance of anxiety* I think **Hanon Diethel **(er did I spell that right?) requested this.

Disclaimer: No tengo Pokemon. Yo estoy triste. (My Spanish is sadly limited... let's hope my English is better)

**

* * *

06. Dark:**  
He holds her close as she gasps and sobs, but he can't help a surprised, soft smile as he realizes that his fearless jungle girl is actually scared of the _dark_.

* * *

"Would you _please _slow down?" Ruby glared in exasperation as Sapphire gleefully swung from tree to tree, her arms flashing in and out of the thick foliage as she skillfully navigated the forest. _Honestly, _Ruby muttered mentally to himself. _One of these days she's going to break her legs and then what will I tell her father_?

_He _didn't want to face the wrath of a normally placid Professor.

Sapphire threw herself from a branch and landed skillfully on the ground with a soft _thump_. "Get over it, Ruby," she drawled, her tooth glinting in the sunlight. "You should try it sometime. Walking is just so… mundane."

"There you go with the big words again." Ruby scowled as he continued to shoulder through the thick undergrowth. "And by the way, you'd never find me swinging from tree to tree like some wild Pokemon. I have dignity."

"You're just scared," Sapphire taunted.

"Yeah. Whatever. I'm terrified. Shaking in my shoes. Which, may I add, are now coated in mud… and I just washed them, too!" The cloud over Ruby's head darkened. "Remind me why we're in Johto traipsing through the forest?"

"Because Daddy asked me to go research a new species of Pokemon, and your dad figured you needed some fresh air." Sapphire yawned loudly as Ruby made a muttered comment about how flies would get in her mouth some day. "You're such a wet blanket, Ruby."

"At least I'm a wet blanket with dignity," Ruby said as coolly as he could. He glanced at his Poketch, a handy gift from Platina on his seventeenth birthday. (He still felt bad about giving her a woolen scarf- he should have given her silk, but _how was he supposed to know she was __**Lady **__Platina?) _"Well, it's almost eight. Sun will be setting soon, and we're too far out from Gold's place so now we'll have to… camp out. Told you to bring Pilo," he fired.

"Well, I'm _sorry_. Haven't you forgotten anything in your entire life?"

Ruby settled for ignoring her and looking for a place to spend the night. Twilight filtered through the trees, and cast a pallid glow around them. The foliage was too thick; if Ruby squinted he could _just _barely see the orange and pink skies engulfing the blue. He glanced at his Poketch and narrowed his eyes, estimating in his head how much time they had before they were engulfed in pitch black darkness. He had Zuzu, and Sapphire had Toro, but that was all they had, since Gold's Ataro had conveniently stolen their Pokeballs from their bags when they weren't looking.

That stupid monkey.

"Ruby," Sapphire called, and he turned to see her rapidly disappearing through a group of clustered bushes. "I think I see a cave."

He trusted her on this one; when it came to environments like these, Sapphire was the person to go to. She'd lived in forests all her life, so it made sense that no matter what region you dropped her in, she'd feel right at home among all the foliage. Ruby, on the other hand, was a city boy and he was proud of it.

Ruby emerged from the undergrowth in front of a small cave, probably the hiding place of a few Nidoran before they had gotten flushed out by some other Pokemon. "It'll do," he said, exhaustion riding every muscle of his body. "Do you have the notebooks? I'll take care of them, you go and wash up, there's a stream right there-" He didn't even finish his sentence before Sapphire disappeared, throwing the books at him and hitting him right in the head. "Or, you could ignore me, that's cool," he continued, sighing as he gathered up their notes and put them neatly in his bag.

"Zuzu," he said to his Pokemon as it appeared in a flash of light, "I know it sounds really dumb, but could you give this cave a nice spray, just to be sure?" Sure of what, Ruby didn't even know, but he was too tired to comprehend his level of thought.

Sapphire came back ten minutes later, looking drenched and completely happy but Ruby was already curled up in his corner, fast asleep under the covers of his red sleeping bag.

…

_Two a.m._ Ruby cracked open his eyes a little wider, wondering what had woken him up. The fire was out, but that wasn't it. He glanced at his watch- they weren't even scheduled to wake up for another five hours. Sighing, Ruby snuggled back under his covers-

-and that was when he heard a quiet sob from the opposite corner of the cave. He sat up straight. "Sapphire?" he whispered, reaching for Zuzu's Pokeball, just in case.

A sniffle, and Ruby began unzipping his sleeping bag. "Sapph?" he murmured, crawling over to his friend and reaching over to touch her shoulder. The girl twitched in her sleep, murmuring something indistinct, and Ruby shook her gently. "Sapph? Wake up. You're having a bad dream."

Her eyes fluttered open, blue eyes silver in the faint sliver of moonlight that trickled into the cave. She began to shudder violently, and Ruby immediately removed his jacket to drape around her shoulders. "Shh," he whispered, holding her tightly in his arms, "It's okay. It's okay now. What's wrong?"

"I can't stand the dark," Sapphire shivered. "It makes me think of Gastly and Gengar and Green's story about being trapped in the Dream Eater nightmare-"

Ruby sighed. _I knew I should never have let Green tell ghost stories at that last get-together. _"It's okay," he said gently. "There aren't any ghosts around here; you know that they're not native to this area."

Sapphire continued to cry quietly into his arms, and Ruby couldn't help but be slightly amused at how quickly she had succumbed to her childhood fear. Sapphire, the wild child, scared of something. The irony of it all.

It did prove one thing to Ruby- Sapphire was human although she protested that she wasn't scared of anything (and he suspected that she would continue to say that the next morning). Ruby appreciated her vulnerability and loved her even more for it. He pressed a comforting kiss to her forehead and eventually felt her breathing even out; smiling, he eventually fell asleep, and both stayed that way until the sun rose again.

* * *

Oy. I'm not sure how I liked the ending. Every time I had a good ending in my head it slipped away like water through fingers. GRRR BRAIN.

Ooooooh please do review :D


	6. Poison

Again, FRANTIC. :D Requested by Hanon Diethel!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. If I did, I would have hired a scientist to bring to life all the cute Pokemon.

* * *

**31. Poison:**  
"Romeo was stupid for drinking the poison to begin with," she declares, and while Ruby agrees, he gives her a tender peck on her lips, murmuring, "If it was an excuse to kiss Juliet, I don't blame him."

* * *

At first he didn't know what inspired her to start reading, but as it turned out that once she did, Sapphire was a complete bookworm. He stared, astonished, as she tore through Steinbeck and Tolstoy and a whole bunch of other dead guys whose name he didn't seem to recognize. On the second Tuesday after her book binge, he finally cracked and asked her why, and she looked up from _Sophie's World _to reply, "Dad bet me I couldn't finish one row of his books; I won that bet but now I want to read more!"

Ruby considered her reply before shrugging and mentally patting himself on the back; his suspicion that money had been involved was at least partially correct.

So this routine continued for a while. Sapphire became so engrossed in her literature that after intense training with her Pokemon, she came straight back to the cave, where Ruby, as usual, was either grooming his Pokemon or sewing. The pair of them spent the day in companionable silence, with Sapphire often breaking the silence to question Ruby about certain themes or even to mention certain things she liked or disliked about the books. The tall boy found this suddenly intellectual Sapphire a little unnerving at first, but he got used to it within weeks, answering her many questions and often engaging in discussions with her.

Their Pokemon, who couldn't tell the difference between their friendly squabbles and their intellectual discussions, wondered why books weren't being thrown, and eventually they engaged in bets on when Sapphire would finally throw something at Ruby. (Toro won that bet by saying that Ruby would be the first one to throw something- she got lucky because a needle accidentally slipped from Ruby's fingers when he was waving his arms around animatedly.)

Ruby came in one day, waving a small book as he stepped into the cave. "Look at this," he grinned from ear to ear. "You'll never guess what I found in my room…"

Sapphire looked up from _Hamlet (_she'd just recently started Shakespeare). "What do you want, Prissy Boy?" she wanted to know in annoyance.

Ruby tossed the book at her and she caught it. "You'll thank me," he said with a smirk. "How far are you in _Hamlet_?"

"Just about to finish, actually," Sapphire replied. "For cryin' out loud, Ruby, you know I don't do romance." She pushed the offending book away with a finger. "_Especially _not _Romeo and Juliet_."

"Aw, come on, it will be fun," Ruby protested, delicately settling himself onto the blanket he laid out next to Sapphire. "We can take turns reading the lines. Or, you could read it yourself..." he lamely added when Sapphire fixed him with an unreadable stare.

He got up and began to leave the cave, whistling to his Pokemon as he went until his friend's reluctant voice drifted to his ears.

"Ruby? Get back here."

..

"That's the stupidest story I have ever read," Sapphire declared an hour and a half later, uncurling her legs as she stretched- Ruby had to blink rapidly to drag his eyes away from the smooth skin that glowed a warm brown in the sunlight. Sometimes, he muttered inwardly, he hated being an eighteen year old boy.

"Somehow, though, it's managed to become one of the best known love stories in the world," he pointed out as Sapphire finished stretching and curled back into the crook between his head and shoulder. His fingers absently played with hers as he placed the book next to them.

There was a nice silence that reigned between them until Sapphire said drily, "Why on earth would you fall in love and agree to marry someone you just met a couple hours ago?"

Ruby wanted to shrug, but he liked the sensation of Sapphire's head on his shoulder too much to move. "Eh," he said in a vague tone. "Maybe Shakespeare really liked his love at first sight idea. It happens, you know."

"Does it last?" Sapphire wondered aloud. "Don't you think that perhaps love is best developed over the years?"

Ruby wasn't sure if they were still talking about Romeo and Juliet, so he settled for a non-committal grunt, leaning his head against Sapphire's. "Maybe," he murmured, and the word hovered in the air for a while, silently invading their peaceful atmosphere.

Again, it was Sapphire who broke their comfortable silence. "Romeo was stupid anyway," she declared, "for drinking the poison."

Ruby chuckled quietly, and Sapphire tilted her head up to find him looking down at her with his warm red eyes that reminded her of crackling fires lighting up the cold night. "Well," he said softly, his grin growing a little wider, "if it was an excuse to kiss Juliet, I can't really blame him, can you?"

All of Sapphire's clever retorts were burned away when he reached down and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. "Besides," he added when he pulled away, "I'm sure Juliet would have done the same thing. Don't you think?" and it was Sapphire's turn to wonder if they were still on the topic of the star-crossed lovers.

Later that night, Sapphire looked at herself in the mirror and admitted that maybe _Romeo and Juliet _wasn't so stupid after all. But, she reminded herself with a brilliant smile, she still believed that love was best developed over the years, and she didn't need a playwright to tell her otherwise-

-she just needed Ruby, and they would write their own story.

..

PARMESAN. This sounds so completely cheesy to my ears haha. But I really need to stop writing angsty, depressing stories- so this will be my cure! :D I don't know if this is enough to be considered fluff, since I'm generally not a fluff writer- and this story is rather short anyhow.

Sooooo? Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated, like a waiter appreciates tips :]

A/N: ooops. I found a mistake. You're a genius if you can find the mistake in this story :D


	7. Firm

Okay, so this wasn't due for another two stories, at least, but it was showing up so strongly in my head that I _had _to write it! (even though I have to wake up early to visit colleges tomorrow.) Mochicocoa, this is for you! :D

OLDRIVALSHIPPING YAAAAAAYYYY. Up next- more Frantic! Again, thank you to all who added me as a favorite author and favorited this story- I appreciate you guys so much :')

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. STOP MAKING ME SAY IT, I'M GOING TO CRY. :(

* * *

**eighteen : firm;**  
"No, Blue, I will not marry you on your birthday, and threatening to show everyone my baby pictures will not work."

* * *

He's heard it all before. The pleading, the begging, the constant threats of leaving (threats that he would gladly see happen anytime). Green's become a hardened battle veteran, and so when Blue comes flying into his grandfather's lab that Saturday morning, he doesn't bat an eyelid. "Hello, Blue," he says in the same monotone as he continues to type on the computer.

She freezes right behind him. "How'd you know it was me?"

He doesn't look up from his work. "Red's in Mt. Silver, Yellow only comes to the gym, Silver doesn't visit, Crystal strolls in with a cheerful greeting, and Gold happens to break something right before he gets to this room. Only you would come sneaking in." He finishes typing, and hits print before going to the next document.

The girl huffs. "I could be Pearl, or Diamond, or that constantly bickering couple, or Emerald! Or even Lady Platina… I would love to be her," she adds wistfully.

"Well, you're not. At any rate, they would knock before entering." Green checks his work against the sheet of notes that lie right before him. "What do you want?"

Blue moves to the edge of the desk and places a nearly shuffled pile of notes on top of another pile- Green makes a slight sound in his throat but lets it slide, because he knows that she's not going to listen to him anyway.

"Green," she says in that sly tone of hers, "Do you know what day it is today?"

"Saturday." He hits backspace and deletes a few words. "You have a perfectly functioning calendar in your house."

She knows this game all too well, and so she plays along. "No, what _day _is it?"

"I just told you. Saturday. The day after Friday and the day before Sunday." Green adjusts the small reading glasses that perch on his nose. "By the way, how did you get past my grandfather?"

Blue makes a tsking noise. "I know it's Saturday," she says lazily. "My point is that it's a special day today."

He doesn't even stop to think about it, she notices- he just keeps on typing, his long fingers flying over the pristine white keyboard. "Let me guess," he says in the same low tone that he uses with everyone. "Today's the day you stole from my grandfather? And you haven't answered my question."

"I didn't steal from him today," Blue says indignantly. "That was… a long time ago!"

"You still haven't answered my question."

She's beginning to tire of this game, he knows, which means she's going to turn on the charm in order to get what she wants. "I have a spare key," she begins, "and just so you know-"

"You have a spare key?" Green actually looks at her now, his usual forest eyes the palest shade of green thanks to the computer light. "Where on earth did you get a spare key to my house and the lab?"

She waves the infuriating metal object in front of him. "I guess it's good for me that your sister and I are such good friends, then," she says playfully, "and if you were around _more often _you would know this."

Green makes sure in his head to tell his grandfather to change the locks, since Daisy isn't around anymore, always hanging out at Bill's and such. In the meantime, however, he simply shrugs and returns to his typing. "That's nice to know," he says blandly. "Now if you would please leave-"

"Today's my birthday." Blue says it so matter of factly that Green wonders if he's heard her right. Of course, he keeps on typing, but out of the corner of his eye he sees her twirling the key, that familiar smirk on her face. He sighs inwardly- she's going to demand something strange from him. She always does when she wears that smile.

"Well? Aren't you going to wish me a happy birthday?" she asks, crossing her legs now.

"Happy birthday," he drawls, his fingers still making rapid-fire sounds on the keyboard.

Blue shakes her head. "You're so cold."

"I'm glad you noticed."

She doesn't give up, and inside his head he begins to go over what she might want for her birthday. Perhaps dinner, perhaps a date, perhaps a kiss, perhaps a trip up to Mt. Silver (oh Mew, please let that be the request, he could push her into the hot springs and be done with it). He wonders briefly why Red isn't down here suffering with him; then he remembers that said boy is up in the mountains doing who knows what training with his Pokemon.

It is moments like these that make him wonder why he didn't just do that, too.

"So…?" Blue breaks the silence, and he senses that a whole new round of this game has started. "What did you get me?"

He hits print before pulling another piece of paper over. "Just so you remember, Blue, I didn't find out that it was your birthday until about a minute ago."

"The great Green Oak forgot something?" she exclaims dramatically. "The world is going to end!"

"I didn't forget," he says pointedly. "Maybe I just didn't bother."

"You said maybe. Which means that you had a fifty percent chance of remembering and since you're Green Oak and you don't forget anything, it's probably about a seventy five percent chance of remembering, and since it's me you probably remembered." Blue leans back, satisfied. "So what did you get me?"

He doesn't even bother to try following her twisted logic- he's seen Red and Gold and even Yellow confuse themselves into circles trying to do that. Instead, he chooses to follow Silver's example, and answer with short pointed answers based on what he selectively hears. "Nothing," he says dryly before realizing that instead of typing up the report on Primeape, he's been typing up a whole entire report about Jigglypuff.

"I'm hurt, Green."

"The Pokemon Centre is right down the road."

"Ha ha." Blue observes her nails, a tell tale sign that she's got something up her sleeve. Green hates it that he knows her so well, because he has a sinking feeling that she knows him just as well.

"I know what you can get me," she announces brightly, and he braces himself. _Here we go._

He steels himself for what's coming next, and simply says "What." It's not a question, it's a statement.

She claps her hands together. "You can _marry _me!" she squeals, and Green is somehow certain that he hears someone choke outside. His senses aren't fully focused, however, and he simply stares at her, taken aback at how appallingly ludicrous her request is. At what moment in time, at what point of history did she _think _that he was going to accede to _that _wish?

He grits his teeth. "No."

"Well, I do think that it's the best you can do, after not getting me anything," she says, pouting that usual pout, the pout that often had the boys falling over themselves to do whatever she wanted.

"By… marrying you?" Green snorts. "Hardly a fair trade."

"If it's Silver you're worried about-"

"I don't _care _what Silver thinks, since I'm not marrying you."

She thinks about that for a minute as Green returns to his work, the keyboard clattering away as though it hadn't heard anything. "Well," she says finally, "you know that you're never going to get a better girlfriend slash fiancée than me, right?"

"And there's that huge sense of modesty," he says grimly, hitting the keys a lot harder than he usually does. Blue smirks- she knows that she's getting a reaction out of him at least.

"Really, Green, we're eighteen. I think we're perfectly legal to do this sort of thing."

"Does that mean I'm allowed to kick you out of the lab, since I'm legally entitled to it now?"

"Now that's just not gentlemanly of you." Blue sticks her tongue out at the spiky haired boy. "Come on. I still have those pictures of you… the ones of you wearing pink baby clothes."

"Let me guess. Daisy showed you." To her surprise, Green continues typing away.

"Of course," she smiles, ever the one in control of her emotions. "And, you know, I can show a _lot _of people…"

"Go ahead. I dare you to." At first Green figures he's playing a risky card, because he knows that Blue's very capable of doing it- but as the first word is out of his mouth, he sees her stiffen, and that little gesture alone tells him that she's taken aback by his reaction. In other words- she wasn't actually planning on doing it.

He finally stops typing, removes the glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Let's make this clear, Blue. I'm not going to marry you on your birthday, _or _get engaged, and those baby pictures won't help. Now that that's clear to everyone, I'm requesting that you leave."

"Well then what _are _you going to get me for my birthday?" Blue asks, beginning to twirl her hair around her finger.

"I don't know," Green answers with a slight note of frustration- he's sick of playing these games and _right now _he really wants to go outside and have a quiet lunch. "Anything but marrying you, that's for sure."

Later on, Green realizes what a bad choice those words were, because Blue lights up and goes, "Anything?"

He also figures that it's his hunger that keeps him from seeing right through her. "Yes," he answers a little testily, "Anything."

"Great!" Blue hops off the desk. "In that case, it's a lunch date! I'll meet you at the Swimming Krabby at twelve thirty, yeah? Don't stand me up!" She actually has the audacity to kiss him on the cheek before leaving. "Best birthday present ever!" she sings back to him as she bursts through the door.

Green stares after her. "Why do I get the feeling that she planned this all along?" he asks the room at large before sighing and ditching his lab coat in favor of his usual army jacket. He walks outside and pats his giant orange dinosaur. "Hey," he says, and Charizard cocks its head in askance. "How would you like to burn an obnoxious woman to pieces?"

Charizard snorts before sitting down, keeping its tail away from the small tiny blades of green grass. Green almost smiles- _almost_. "Yeah," he agrees. "I know. You're used to it." He shrugs, and begins to walk away.

He figures that lunch isn't going to be quiet, but since when is anything quiet when's Blue around?

Green's lips curve slightly upwards at the thought- and he admits to himself that perhaps, that's the way he secretly likes it.

_

* * *

_

This, I do admit, was tons of fun. I don't have much experience writing in present tense, though. So this might be a little iffy.. but at the moment I am pleased with how it turned out! _(Watch. _Tomorrow I'll be like "HOMYGOSH THIS IS SOOO BAD".)

Well, as always, reviews are appreciated! :D Love y'all.


	8. Strange

Okay, here we go. Hanon Diethel, I think you requested this too. Enjoy :]

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Pokemon. The only thing I own is my computer and then my sanity- even then that's questionable…

..

"Ruby."

The capped boy grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut. _Ignore her_. He moved a chess piece opposite Silver, making sure to set it down with a deliberate _clack_. "Your move," he said rather inaudibly.

As the Johto boy contemplated his next move, Sapphire poked Ruby's knee again. "Ruby," she repeated.

He waved a hand at her rather dismissively, and lounging against the tree, Gold noted with amusement Sapphire's silently building anger. Ataro chattered nervously on his shoulder, and Gold patted his head. "Five minutes before she blows up," he murmured softly to the monkey.

Ataro squeaked otherwise. _Two, _it chittered.

Silver moved his pawn, and Gold couldn't resist clapping sarcastically just to throw his ex-rival slash best friend off his game. "Oh, forgive me for providing some noise," he drawled when Silver glared at him from under the curtain of bright red hair.

Ruby remained unfazed, despite Sapphire poking him again. "Check," he said a little too gleefully, and Gold couldn't help but snort when Silver's eyebrows settled in a puzzled expression. "Nice move," he observed.

Ruby paid no attention to the compliment as Sapphire kept poking his knee with more and more force. "OH, IN MEW'S NAME, WHAT DO YOU WANT, SAPPHIRE?" he finally exploded, startling Silver and Gold- the latter tumbled backwards with a loud "_Yaaargh_!"

"Well," Sapphire shot right back, "if you would actually pay attention once in a while-"

"If you would let me _focus _on something other than your constant thirst for battles-"

Ataro chose that moment to dance gleefully on a tree, showering Silver with dust and dirt. Annoyed, the redhead glared up at Gold. "Control your monkey, Gold," he growled.

"You need to lighten up, Silver." Gold chuckled and nudged Silver with his cue stick. Silver's fists clenched, and his foot began to tap rapidly on the ground, while on the other side of the board, Ruby and Sapphire kept yelling at each other.

"YEAH? WHAT ABOUT THE TIME THAT YOU WENT TO SNOWPOINT CITY TO BATTLE, BUT YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT IT?"

"I _TOLD _YOU, I WAS LOOKING FOR CANDICE BECAUSE SHE OFFERED TO GIVE ME CONTEST TIPS!"

"YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME!"

"WHY ON EARTH WOULD I _WANT _TO TELL YOU?"

Gold decided at that very moment to tap a fuming Silver on the head with his stick. "By the way, your chess skills need some improvement," he offered.

Silver scowled even more darkly. "Gold, I bet you couldn't even play chess if your life depended on it," he countered.

Gold threw his head back and laughed. "Boy, that comment sure showed _me_. I'll have you know, I was the undisputed chess champion for five years-"

"Playing against what? Your Poltaro?" Silver snorted.

"Maybe, but how is that any of _your _business-"

"You _played against your own Pokemon_?"

"A victory is a victory, innit?"

"I TRAINED WITH YOU LAST SATURDAY!" Ruby bellowed.

"THAT WAS HARDLY TRAINING! YOU GAVE UP BECAUSE YOU GOT A DIRT SMUDGE ON YOUR SHOE!"

"WELL MAYBE IF YOU WOULD STOP INSISTING WE TRAIN OUTDOORS-"

"Gold, _stop Ataro from showering me in tree dust!"_

"Honestly, Silver, stop being such a clean, neat freak. Lighten up once in a while-"

"I'll show you lighten up when I lighten _you _up-"

"STOP IT!" Yellow shouted from her position between the two fighting groups, finally exasperated after having yelled at them to no avail. She cautiously removed her fingers from her ears when she realized that both parties had ceased arguing and were now staring at her in curiosity. "S-sorry," she stammered when her usual stage fright paralyzed her. "I-it's just that the n-noise was disturbing the Pokemon in the area." She twiddled her thumbs. "Do you mind keeping the noise level down?" she finished hesitantly, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"Of course, Yellow," Gold said smoothly, scooping up the chess board and the chess pieces in one swift swipe. "Silver and I have to go, anyway- we volunteered to help out the daycare center-"

"By 'we' volunteering, he means that he volunteered and dragged me along," Silver muttered mutinously.

"Arceus, look at the time," Sapphire suddenly gasped. "Ruby, it's almost five- we have to be at Green's gym by six-"

"Why are we leaving an hour early then?" Ruby demanded.

"Well, we need to train, don't we? You're the one who told me that before physical exercise we need to warm up-"

"When I said warm up, I didn't mean _battle beforehand-_"

Silver grabbed one of the pawns and threw it at the bickering couple, efficiently shutting them up. "We're leaving," he stated in the tone that left no room for argument. "Whatever you guys do, don't end up scaring all the wild Pokemon away. I can assure you that Green- or Yellow-" the girl in the straw hat blushed- "won't be very happy. Gold!" he barked, and the goggle-headed boy jumped in alarm. "Let's go."

"Well you could afford to be a little happier about it…"

"Happier? You conned me into this, you little liar…"

"Might I remind you that Blue's a con artist? Maybe I picked up a few things from her- OW! WHAT DID YOU HIT ME FOR?"

Yellow shook her head and trudged back the way she came, leaving the suddenly quiet Ruby and Sapphire behind. "Well," Ruby began, looking up at the foliage of the Viridian Forest. "I suppose we should get going to find some decent trainers to battle you."

"You're not battling me?"

"Why? You're going to wipe the floor with my team. Then you're going to use Green's Pokemon to finish up what spots you missed." Ruby playfully nudged Sapphire, their previous fighting automatically forgotten. "You've got him this time, Sapph. This time, you'll win."

Sapphire smiled and looped her arm around Ruby's proffered elbow. "Thanks," she grinned. Both walked along in companionable silence before Sapphire began, "Strange pair, aren't they, those two Johto boys?"

"I know. Always fighting and everything." Ruby sniffed. "Do you ever think we're like that?"

Both of them thought about it for a moment before deciding, "Nah."

Meanwhile, Gold and Silver were trekking along in the other direction. Silver had his arms folded, his usual scowl etched on his features, while Gold walked with a spring in his step as he whistled a cheery tune. "Silver, lighten up," he said happily. "At the rate you're going you're going to completely break every egg you touch in the daycare center."

"Does that mean I get to go home?"

"Stop whining."

"I don't whine."

Gold rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He twirled his cue stick. "You should just team up with the Hoenn couple over there. They fight so much you'd be a perfect addition."

"I wouldn't fight with them. I'd stand back and watch the fireworks," Silver snorted. "They are one strange couple, indeed."

"You don't think we fight as much as they do, do you?" Gold asked anxiously.

Both of them considered the notion before shaking their heads and saying simultaneously, "Nah."

..

Ah, yes. I must admit, I've never actually written anything between Gold/Silver before. So I don't know if there's any OOC-ness. Other than that I had tons of fun writing it, as usual :] Reviews are always greatly appreciated as they boost my morale!


	9. Earth

Hey, mochicocoa, this is yours, right? I do hope you like it ;) [it's really short- forgive me!]

Disclaimer: I am secretly the owner of Pokemon *gets arrested* Okay, maybe not. Can I go now? I posted bail…Guys? Guys…?

The lesson to be learned, kids, is to never say something is yours when it is clearly not.

* * *

**11. Earth:**  
"I swear, sometimes your head's so up in the clouds I wonder if you're on the right planet."

* * *

"Ruby, can you come help with the dishes?" Ruby's mother called as she soaped and soaked another dish in the sink. Her son didn't reply, and she dried off her hands before backing up so she could see her fifteen year old son sitting on the couch, absently stroking Nana as he stared at the blank TV screen.

"Ruby," his mother repeated again, this time in a firmer tone, and her son actually jerked as he came back to reality.

"Hmmm…? Sorry, Mom, were you talking to me?"

"Yes. Can you help with the dishes? My arms hurt after I fell off the ladder last week…"

He obediently got up and scurried into the kitchen. "What were you doing on the ladder again?" he asked.

"Fixing the roof tiles; you know how your father is never around." His mother flexed her wrist. "Remind me to go see Professor Birch tomorrow. He said that he might have something that would help alleviate the pain…" She trailed off when she noticed that Ruby was mechanically doing the dishes, a glazed look in his eyes as he looked out the window. "Ruby?"

He came back to earth, blinking rapidly. "Sorry, Mom."

"Honestly, you have your head up in the clouds so much that I wonder if you're actually living on the right planet," his mother scolded playfully.

Ruby smiled. "Well, I've always liked Pluto. What were you saying before I zoned out, Mom?"

"I was saying that I need to go see Professor Birch tomorrow," his mother began, and that was when a flash of expression crossed Ruby's face; he looked away and she felt her senses go on the alert. "What was that?"

"What was what, Mom?"

"You looked away when I mentioned Professor Birch. Did something happen between you and Sapphire again?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

His mother crossed her arms. "Ruby," she began in that _don't-tell-me-lies-because-I'm-a-mother-and-I-can-sniff-it-from-a-mile-away _tone of voice, "Don't lie or you'll be grounded."

The red-eyed boy sighed gustily. "Really, Mom, it's nothing to worry about…"

"Then what is…" An awful thought occurred to her. "OH MY ARCEUS- DID YOU TWO DO IT?"

Ruby blinked at her, the corners of his mouth scrunching up in a very confused expression. "Do what?" he wanted to know.

His mother began to have a fit. "YOU DID, DIDN'T YOU? THAT'S WHY YOU'RE BEING DISTANT- YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE CONSEQUENCES- Ruby, I'm not ready to be a mother," she babbled in one single breath, and Ruby's eyes grew as wide as saucers as he realized what his mother was implying.

"Mom!" he yelped, although his voice gave out at the end. "We didn't _do _it! We've never even kissed- I mean, I don't even like her in that way-" He dropped the dish into the sink, his extremities apparently deciding to lose all function from his shock. "Mew, why would you even _think _that…" he mumbled.

His mother sank into a seat, holding a hand over her heart. "Oh, thank Mew," she muttered. "Ruby, don't scare me like that again!"

"You were the one who came up with the idea in the first place!" Ruby protested.

"It's not my fault if you were behaving strangely." His mother eyed him with a critical stare. "Then why _are _you behaving so oddly?"

"No reason. I'm just thinking about the Contest next week, that's all." Ruby placed the last dish in the drainer. "I'm done," he announced. "See you, Mom. I'm going to go and groom Coco and Nana."

His mother watched him go, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. _Right, _she decided, _I'm going to have to keep an eye on those two. _

Somehow, though, she missed seeing a bouquet of flowers show up in Sapphire's hideout with an apologetic note attached to it.

* * *

Do you get it? Do you? :D I tried implying stuff in this chapter. Didja get it? Did you? *attempts to sound like hyperactive child*

And I realize this is the shortest story I've ever posted. Only 700 some words. Heh... I hope you liked it though :)

Well, as always, reviews help boost my ego. GO FOR IT. :D


	10. Smile

I realized late last night that I was going to have to finish all these requests for drabbles before I finish my story 'Search'. This, I hope, is not one of those many projects that I began and never finished.

Again, a huge shoutout and thank you to those who reviewed (mochicocoa you requested this one too, so enjoy!) and also those who added various stories to their story alert list. You guys make me want to cry *tears up*

Disclaimer: If I say I don't own Pokemon- _again- _can I go?

* * *

**39 – Smile**  
Green rolls his eyes, Silver calls him clichéd, Red grins goofily, and Blue gushes about how sweet it is; but Gold holds stubbornly to the fact that the first reason why he fell in love with Crystal was her smile.

* * *

"Why am I here?" Silver groaned in frustration as he leans against the bark of a hard oak tree. His Johto counterpart, Gold, looked at him from under his black bangs before resuming his blissful nap.

"Blue's the one who dragged us here, why didn't you ask _her_?" he yawned

Silver threw up his hands, still as impatient as ever despite his sixteen and a half years. "It's Blue. When do I ever get an answer from her?"

"Tell me about it." Green stormed up the hill, a placid and ever silent Red trailing behind him. "Where is she?" he growled at Silver.

Silver, as always, got defensive when the mention of Blue was uttered in Green's annoyed tone. "Why, what do you care?"

"She stole my _entire _box of gym badges and told me to meet her here at noon if I wanted them back. _That_'s why I care."

Gold sat up; obviously his nap wasn't going to materialize if Silver and Green went on bickering like this. "Why are you here, then?" he asked Red, who had settled on the grass and was absently picking a daisy to pieces.

His senior shrugged, red eyes mellow and relaxed. "I was down here to pick up supplies," he explained, "and ran into Green. No trainers have showed up on Mt. Silver, so I figured I'd tag along…" He looked down, and Gold was reminded with a painful jolt of how cheerful his senior and default leader of the Dex Holders used to be.

Blue chose that exact moment to drop in via her Jigglypuff. "Hello, everyone," she said cheerfully. "It's so nice to see the Johto and Kanto Dex Holders together again…" Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Gold, who gulped audibly. "Where's Crystal? I invited her too."

"Invited, or tricked?" Green asked a little grumpily as he folded his arms.

"Same thing, Green dear," Blue cooed as she threw a picnic basket to Silver who expertly caught it.

"She said she had a lot of work to do. We tried," Silver shrugged.

Blue considered this for a moment before snapping her fingers. "Gold will just have to do without his girlfriend, then." At this, Gold's face flushed a bright red- he still wasn't used to open teasing like that since he had asked Crystal out over a month ago. Blue grinned evilly before continuing, "Anyway, why don't you boys make yourself useful and set up the picnic blanket? Red looks starved."

"Where are my Gym badges?" Green demanded.

"I think that if you returned to your gym right now, you'd find your badges in the same spot where they were this morning," Blue answered lazily as she let out her Pokemon.

Green was fuming inwardly, Gold could tell. The Viridian Gym Leader turned on his heel. "Good to see you again, Gold, Silver, Red," he tossed over his shoulder as coolly as he could. "Blue, don't come within five feet of my gym ever again-"

"Green, dear, how are you going to get into your Gym without your keys?" Blue flopped down onto the newly laid out picnic blanket, dangling a set of silver keys from her finger. Green paused before turning around, his emerald shaded eyes narrowing into slits. Gold unconsciously backed away; he didn't like seeing his senior…angry.

Blue was clearly unfazed. Green stalked over and held out his hand, but the mischievous girl tucked the keys away into her bag. "Not a chance," she said cheerily. "Sit down and have lunch with us, Green, you haven't left your Gym lately. Besides, I'm willing to bet that Red's not the only hungry one here." Red looked up from his second ham sandwich, evidently confused at the random mention of his name.

There was a pause as the Viridian Gym Leader considered it. Eventually, he settled down slowly next to Red and Gold. "Obnoxious woman," Gold just barely made out as Green gritted his teeth and reached for a turkey sandwich.

..

"I must say, Blue, these sandwiches are really good," Gold complimented an hour later, as all five Dex Holders lounged in various positions on the grass (Green was still sitting stiffly upright, but Gold suspected that he rather enjoyed it).

"Thanks, but I didn't make them," Blue answered with a bright smile. "Yellow's uncle did. He said he was sorry Yellow couldn't come; I guess that trip to visit Emerald took longer than usual."

Silver calmly reached for another sandwich. "She's more likely keeping the peace between Emerald and that Hoenn couple," he noted.

"Speaking of couples!" Blue brightened up even more and Gold felt his senses go on the alert. "Gold! How are things between you and Crystal?"

"Um…" Gold blinked rapidly. He usually enjoyed boasting about the girls he dated, but Crystal was…different. Something about her made him want to smile like a goofy idiot and keep every single thing he liked about her to himself, like that would keep her away from the rest of the world. "She's… fine, I guess?" he hedged. "What do you possibly want to know?"

Wrong question, he realized belatedly as Blue's grin spread even wider. "Tell me everything," she said excitedly, grabbing his hands- Gold saw Green's momentary double blink and Silver's hand spasm as his protective instincts kicked in. Red, as he usually did these days, simply watched with amusement.

"Tell me what you like most about her," Blue was squealing now as Gold tuned back in. "Her hair? Her earrings-"

"Not everyone is as superficial as you are, Blue."

"Oh, hush up, Green." Blue returned her attention to the blushing Johto boy. "Oh look at that! You're blushing! How cute!"

Gold dropped his head into his hands. "Do I have to?" he mumbled, his usual confidence and bravado gone to pieces. _Somehow _that always happened to him whenever Crystal was mentioned.

"Yes!" Blue was bouncing up and down. "I can tell you every single thing I like about Green-"

"Please don't."

"Yeah, Gold, just tell us so I don't have to listen to that," Silver muttered as Green and Blue launched into another argument.

Gold gave it thought as his two seniors picked up the verbal insults. What _did _he like best about Crystal? She was kind… but that wasn't the first thing he had been attracted to. Her legs? No, Gold decided, that wasn't what he liked best- sure, the physical aspect of her had been nice, but he wasn't shallow like that (okay, maybe a _little_). He considered her eyes- the way they sparkled reminded him of tiny crystals that had been blessed by the kiss of moonlight.

No, it wasn't the eyes. Gold thought about Crystal as a whole. She was smart, but sometimes he hated that about her. The way his hand fit into hers? Gold considered it, but reasoned that it was a consequence, not the reason why he liked Crystal. Her laugh?

And then it struck Gold. "Her smile," he said aloud, his chin resting on his hand, and both Blue and Green stopped bickering to look at him.

"Sorry?" Blue asked. "I didn't hear that."

"Her smile," Gold said, his confidence slowly growing back as he began to realize why the answer felt so _right _to him. "Crystal's, I mean. It's what I like best." He ran his fingers through his messy black hair. "Something about it makes me feel like the world is a better place when she's around."

_I sound like a complete mushy idiot._

Silver, as Gold expected, snorted. "You're so clichéd."

Green, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. "I've heard that one somewhere before," he muttered, but Gold could have sworn that the corners of his mouth twitched with amusement.

Red, befitting his newly-found silent status, simply smiled wider and didn't say anything, but Blue's reaction took the cake. "Gold! That's so _cute_!" she gushed. "Her smile? Really?"

Gold nodded, not trusting his mouth to come up with any more Hallmark moments.

Blue clapped her hands together gleefully. "That's so _cuuuute_!" she squealed. "Silver, stop shaking your head. You should find a girlfriend too, you know."

"Like that's ever going to happen."

Gold regained some verbal footing. "Yeah, Silver," he said teasingly. "We should get you a girlfriend sometime soon. I hear Olivine City has plenty of cute girls."

Silver threw a bottle at the boy with goggles, who dodged neatly and stuck his tongue out at the redhead. "Spoilsport," Gold said teasingly. "You should really consider cutting your hair, maybe people would then see that you're a guy- OW!"

Red watched the two boys engage in a mock fight before looking at his two best friends. "They haven't changed," he noted in that husky tone of his.

…

At eight o clock that evening, Gold felt his Pokegear vibrating. He excused himself from the dining table- well not so much excused as rushed upstairs and leaving a confused mother behind- and hooked up his phone to the video screen hanging on his wall.

A familiar face framed by blue upturned ponytails smiled at him. "Hey," she said, her tone soothing him like waves soothed the shore. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just a kidnapping by Blue, which you already knew about." Gold grabbed a chair and sat down. "How's Ecruteak?"

"Morbidly fascinating. Did you know Morty has places marked on his map that tell him where ghost Pokemon converge during the full moon?"

As she launched into a whole explanation about ghost Pokemon and their activities during eclipses and full moons and waning, Gold found his eyes resting on the framed picture of him and Crystal on his desk. In the picture, they were holding up intertwining fingers, and she was positively beaming- you couldn't see anything of the rest of her body except her cheerful, smiling face.

Gold was pretty sure that that was how he would always remember her, and if anyone asked again what he liked best about her- it would be the same stubborn answer over and over.

And that, Gold reflected, was just the way he liked Crystal.

* * *

Oh man, I'm not sure how I liked the ending… Beginnings and endings are always tough for me.

As always, reviews will be greatly appreciated! It makes me feel loved :]


	11. Birthday

HEY LOOK I'M NOT DEAD :D I'm sorry for the late update; I've been in Reno all this time and when I got back, summer homework forced itself into my line of attention. I'm currently reading _Screwtape Letters _by C.S. Lewis- can't say I fancy it very much, but I'll give him some patience due to my fascination of his Narnia books :D

Anyway. Enough rambling. I shall now bestow the 11th chapter/story/drabble! Requested by mochicocoa ;) COMMONERSHIPPING!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my pen and my trusty notebook.

* * *

**11. birthday**

"Happy birthday, Pearl!" all the Dex Holders yell, and Ruby has his mother snap a group picture- both he and Sapphire examine it later and are amused to find both Platina and Diamond holding hands (they promptly get into an argument over whether the two Sinnoh teenagers are in a relationship).

* * *

"Hurry- hurry- _don't drop it_, Gold!"

"I'm trying not to! Stop yelling at me!" A visibly flustered Gold staggered through the doorway, carrying a five foot tall cake. "_Why_ did you bake such a huge cake, Ruby? And what did you put in it, _bricks_?"

"I did offer to help you," Silver drawled from behind Gold as he strolled through the kitchen doorway. "But _no. _You had to be all macho about it."

"It's not that heavy," Gold backtracked hastily, but Silver simply scoffed disbelievingly at him.

Ruby inspected the cake. "It's a bit crooked," he decided, and reached for another cooking utensil. "Maybe a little more icing…"

"NO!" Sapphire barreled through the door, having caught Ruby's muttered decision. "Pearl's almost here! Yellow and Green just called. Get out here, Red just destroyed the streamers." And she dragged a horrified Ruby out of the kitchen.

In the living room, Platina and Diamond watched the commotion as the other Dex Holders raced around the room. As far as they could see, they were the only two calm ones in the eye of the storm- Sapphire and Ruby were freaking out over a confused Red who held torn streamers in his hand, Silver and Gold were arguing again, and Crystal, Emerald and Blue had somehow managed to break several flower vases and were hastily sweeping the pieces up before Ruby noticed.

Platina finished wrapping Diamond's present to Pearl. "Here you go," she said in that soft, quiet way of hers as she handed the neatly wrapped blue box to him. "Do you think he'll like the book we gave him?"

She failed to notice the light that came into Diamond's eyes when she said 'we'. Diamond also felt a wave of warmth cascade over him, but he kept his normal, even tone as he replied, "Sure. He's a comedian for life. He'll like the joke book we gave him."

He thought she didn't notice the way he stumbled over the awkward first person word, but she did briefly before dismissing it.

"He's coming, he's coming!" Sapphire screeched in a flustered Red's ear, and the senior muttered something along the lines of "Should have gone with Green and Yellow" before tossing the streamers into the crevice between the sofa and the wall. Ruby shepherded the Dex Holders into the kitchen, where the cake stood majestically on the pedestal- Platina only had time for a brief compliment directed at Ruby before everybody was shushing each other.

The door opened, and Ruby's mother's voice greeted the trio that must have stood outside. "Green, Yellow, Pearl! How nice of you to drop by. They're in the back."

Pearl's quick, snappy voice said something indistinguishable before Green's clear voice filtered through the crack between door and the doorframe. "They're probably in the garden. It's through the kitchen."

"Why are there streamers on the floor?" Pearl sounded confused, and everyone in the kitchen turned to look accusingly at a sheepish Red.

"Um," Yellow's feminine, nervous tone floated through, "well, you know Ruby- he likes decorating- that's probably it."

There was a hesitant pause, and Platina felt her fingers tighten at her side. What if Pearl didn't buy it? He wasn't stupid. They would pull it on Red, or Gold, even Green and Silver _easy_- but Pearl was sharper than that. She shivered, and Diamond looked at her as her shoulders accidentally touched his.

_She's so tense. _And then Diamond did something he didn't think he would have done in his life- he took her hand and held it, hoping that she wouldn't do something like shake it off or withdraw abruptly.

She didn't. Instead, he felt her fingers wrap around his and hold on tightly. Diamond felt a bright warmth heat up along his neck and towards his face- he suspected that it _wasn't_ because of the scarf he always wore, even during the hot Hoenn summer. He subtly tightened his grip around hers, but slackened it ever so slightly- he didn't want to act like he had been waiting his whole life for this moment.

Which of course, he had been.

Pearl must have been waffling on Yellow's excuse, because Green's tone grew impatient. "Pearl," he said loudly enough for his best friends to know that he was lying through his teeth, "you know how Ruby decided to make a dress for Sapphire? Yes, he's probably using streamers to do it. He gets odd ideas- now if you excuse me, Red just texted me demanding to know where I am."

And there it was. Three pairs of footsteps began to approach the kitchen, and Platina's fingers tightened their grip around Diamond's in anticipation, although she thought to herself, _Should have known, of course_. If anyone could convince Pearl, it was Green with his authoritative tone. She didn't know why she was still holding Diamond's hand, then.

She found that she didn't really mind.

The kitchen door swung open and a familiar blonde haired boy stepped in- the kitchen erupted and a camera flashed as everyone bellowed at the top of their lungs, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PEARL!"

..

"A dress with streamers?" Ruby asked Green disbelievingly later as the Viridian Gym Leader filed out, absently tossing his Charizard's Pokeball as he left. "Really now, Green?"

"It got the job done, at least." Green nodded a farewell to the Hoenn boy as the slightest of smiles tugged at his lips. "This wasn't torturous. I wouldn't mind doing it again." With that said, he released the orange dragon and hopped on.

The last of the guests (note: a rather disoriented Blue) finally left, and Ruby flopped onto the living room couch. "What are you doing?" he wanted to know as Sapphire walked in, gingerly holding his laptop.

"Downloading pictures. What else does it look like I'm doing? Move over." Sapphire kicked Ruby's leg, and the boy reluctantly sat up and moved to one side, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"Is this the one your mom took?" Sapphire asked, swiveling the laptop screen so Ruby could see.

Ruby snorted. "My mom took _all _the pictures today, Sapph. I'm willing to bet she took this." His eyes scanned the picture and he frowned. "Hm. That's interesting."

"What is?"

Ruby pointed at the bottom left corner of the picture. "What are Platina and Diamond doing?"

Sapphire squinted. "They look like they're holding hands."

"Huh. Are they in a relationship?"

"I think they are."

"No, I doubt it. They would have said something."

"Why d'you have ta disagree with me on _everything_!"

"I do not disagree with you on everything."

"You're an idiot-"

"And you're a barbarian-"

And so it continued, wafting out into the hot summer evening.

Ruby and Sapphire did not know that the dark-haired boy sat on a hill not far from Ruby's house, thinking about a rich heiress- they didn't know that said rich heiress was already safely in her house, trying not to think about the dark-haired boy. They didn't know that at all.

Instead, the thought of a relationship in Sinnoh simply remained a whisper, a gentle breeze reminding always of what could have been- but never was.

* * *

And so there we go. I am attempting to fix my endings. I don't know about this one. Only you, dear readers, can tell me what you think about it. Objective reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated. :D

Let me know if there are any more requests- I currently have none waiting for me :D


	12. Jealousy

See, I realize my problem. I realize that sometimes with these one-sentence drabbles, I write things that usually don't get fleshed out in my head. In a way, I appreciate that because it challenges me and makes me actually sit down to assess it. So, carol of the bells, here's for you. I hope all of you like it!

Disclaimer: I own THE WORLD AND BY DEFAULT POKEMON BWAHAHAHA /dies from delusions

* * *

**22 – Jealousy**  
She tries to tell herself she's not jealous that Gold gets to roam everywhere he wants; he tries to tell himself that he's not jealous Crystal has such a stable life.

* * *

"Crystal?" Professor Oak knocked once and the door swung slightly open. The aged professor walked in, holding a stack of papers. He adjusted his reading glasses as he continued to read Green's report about the herd of migrating Rapidash, saying absently, "Crystal, do you mind if you combine Green's report to the reports Birch and Rowan sent over before creating a condensed version to send to the Pokemon Association?" He looked up, his glasses sliding down his long nose, and was vaguely amused to find the blue-haired teenager frozen in position as she held the hand of what looked like an extremely relaxed Gold. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"No!" Crystal exclaimed, leaping up- Gold took his time stretching, but he too straightened up as he waved happily at Professor Oak. Crystal accidentally knocked a pen off the table, but her teacher pretended not to notice as he casually raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"We were actually-" Gold began, but Crystal stomped on his foot before he could finish and so he obediently shut his mouth and sat back down.

"Mm." Professor Oak ignored that, too. "So, Crystal, could you do it? Today would be the best day to reach both Birch and Rowan."

For everything else that he ignored, he most certainly did not notice the slight slump of the shoulders that betrayed Crystal's disappointment. "Sure, Professor," she answered a little dully, giving him a half-hearted smile as he beamed at her and walked out, once more immersed in Green's detailed field notes. She turned to Gold, feeling her heart sink a little bit. "Sorry," she muttered. "I guess that picnic isn't going to happen today."

He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips before standing up. "Sure. Don't worry about it. Maybe next week, when I'm back from Johto- I bet Silver just likes sending me away so he can spend more time with Blue. _If _you know what I mean." He grinned and tugged on Crystal's ponytails. "Though I can't really say I mind, if it means coming back to dull old Pallet Town to see you."

"You have all the right moves," Crystal said teasingly, giving him a playful shove. "Now clear out, Gold. I have work to do. As always." She pulled a quick grimace before swiveling around in her chair to focus on the various papers her mentor had left for her. Gold stood there for a moment, admiring how her hair shone a bright shade of blue- "_Gold, leave_!" and so he left.

…

He did not leave for Johto right away. He hadn't been planning to, and besides, the ferry he had meant to catch didn't leave for another four hours. He'd intended on spending that time with Crystal before hightailing it to the port- well, that plan was shot now, he supposed. Gold lived on adrenaline, on cutting things close, on sliding in right in the nick of time. If there was one thing he absolutely detested with every fiber of his being, it was waiting and being quietly patient- a main reason why he was always at loggerheads with Silver.

He reflected on it, twirling his cue stick and walking through the Viridian Forest. Usually, Gold admitted, he didn't have a plan. He liked winging things, and at most he would plan maybe five minutes ahead. He was not a long-term thinker; he could do it if he wanted to, but Gold preferred to take the rush and take things as they were thrown at him. It was part of the reason why he lost half his battles, but won the other half with brilliant strategies, for he was always being pushed to think on his feet.

He was a constant volcano, exploding briefly into bright action but then subsiding into passive dormancy before the cycle began again- unstable, unsteady, and most of all unpredictable.

Crystal, he thought fondly to himself, was different.

She was more of a constant tide, always pulling and pushing but always with the same even tempo. She'd not wanted to be his at first- he had to back away, slow down, play a waiting game that he wasn't expert at. His flashy moves had failed to impress her; it was only when he had come to embrace the tiny miniscule details that she loved about him that she realized how far she was in the relationship. He'd waited, he'd loved, and he'd been rewarded-

-but Gold often felt like they were still poles apart and separated by many oceans. He missed her dearly as he was on his random trips around the four regions; even spurring on arguments between Ruby and Sapphire failed to amuse him the way Crystal did when she told a funny story. The way he lived, the way he slid into things and lived in chaos exhausted him, and he longed for something Crystal had- or maybe it was Crystal herself he longed for.

He was a nomad, she was a settler; he longed for the kind of roots she had.

…

_The Rapidash observed burned brighter during the eclipse… _Crystal rubbed her eyes. It was the fifth time she had read Green's cramped, tiny handwriting and she was _tired_. She mentally berated herself for not telling Professor Oak about the picnic lunch Gold had surprised her with that morning; he had been young once, surely he would have understood! He wasn't his grandson, after all.

"Work's work," she said aloud, leaning over her papers one more time. "No slacking off, Crys."

_And now, I'm talking to myself again. _

Her eyes settled on the clock that sat near her work window, a present from a grudging Silver and a beaming Blue. The clock had a digital background that displayed whatever picture you wanted, so Crystal had chosen a picture of her and Gold to remind her that although they were so far apart, they were at least still going strong.

Three thirty. Crystal checked her planner- yes, Gold was due on the ferry at four. He was probably galloping towards the port on the back of some wild Tauros. Inevitably he would probably create a stampede and he would probably have to save the town with some wild move that she would deem insane. "I wouldn't be surprised," she said dryly to the open window, "if that actually happened and was on the news right now."

Her fingers drummed the pen against the desk, eventually settling into a synchronized rhythm with the beat of her heart. _Where was Gold going_? she wondered. She couldn't remember anymore if it was Hoenn or Sinnoh or maybe it was that region Isshu. She knew he was stopping off in Johto first, but then again it was Gold. Things were subject to change when he was around.

He was a coursing river, tearing headlong through its course, while she compared herself to a calm, brightly winking flame.

She based her life on plans, on routines, on preset schedules that ran like clockwork once she had them perfected. Often times, she hated it when people burst through her neatly arranged walls and defenses, breaking them down in order to throw her routines into complete chaos- but with Gold she found that she eventually came to appreciate his spontaneity. Often times she gave him trouble for tossing them headlong into another catastrophe, but she did admit that he always got them out of trouble.

He lived for the taste of danger, and Crystal found that she, too, was developing a craving for adrenaline. She got it when he was around, but he was never around long enough- always off somewhere exploring, discovering new Pokemon, documenting sometimes (sometimes being the key word) for the three Professors, depending on what region he was in. He was free to explore, free to roam- but she was left here, working on the same old routine every day.

He was a nomad, and she was a settler; she longed for the sort of open plains he ran in.

Crystal liked plans, and rarely stepped out of routine, so even she surprised herself when she reached for her Pokegear and dialed a familiar number.

He picked up on the third ring, like he always did- that was something familiar about Gold, at least. "Crystal?" He sounded surprised. "I wasn't expecting you to call."

She smiled into the phone. "Yeah," she agreed into it. "I wasn't expecting it, either."

He pauses before he says it completely out of the blue, out of sequence and order. "I miss you."

She smiled even wider as she played with her hair, the report forgotten. "I miss you too," she replied. Same old answer, same old feelings- it never changed, and for that, Gold and Crystal were both thankful, for it was something that grounded them both in an ever changing relationship.

* * *

Eh? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED. As always, I still take requests!


	13. End

Today's been one of those 'ehhhh' days. It really has. But that's okay, because I have my trusty laptop and my muse is ready to go! Or at least, I think she is… she's sort of sitting in the corner sleeping right now. But work is work, as Crystal said last chapter, so here we go :D This was requested by someone anonymous, I think, so… yeah. If you're reading this, here's for you!

A/N: this one goes back to my roots of angsty fiction. So I've got a lot riding on it- also, this one is connected to the 22nd one-sentence drabble, 'Hollow'.

Disclaimer: I own egg rolls, but not Pokemon.

* * *

**12. End:**  
He holds her limp body in the rain, simply saying over and over, "This can't be the end, it can't be; wake up Sapph, wake up!"

**22. Hollow:  
**When she finally breathes and leaves him, he can't help but break down and sob, _anything _to help fill the empty hole that consumes his entire heart; chasms that yawn and swallow everything that ever existed.

* * *

Ruby, for the life of him, could not understand why Sapphire asked _him _to come out hiking with her. He would do anything for her- push her out of the way of trampling Donphan, walk through flames for her, he would even gladly battle with her (albeit grudgingly)- but she should have known better than to ask him to walk in the cold, pelting Hoenn rain.

"Ruby! Hurry up!" Sapphire sat on a branch, her legs dangling from a tree. He scowled at her, muttering how these expeditions were going to kill him one day, and picked up his pace- "We're twenty, and we're still exploring this forest?" he demanded when he leveled with the jungle girl.

"Don't be a spoilsport, Ruby, you know this is fun." Sapphire pulled herself up and leaped to the next branch. Ruby couldn't help but notice the way the branches gleamed a sickly silver in the light of grey clouds; thunder rumbled ominously overhead and he pulled his raincoat a little closer to himself.

"At least wear _something _that's protective!" he yelled at her as she pulled ahead. "Don't you dare catch a cold! I know how you are when you're sick!" To be honest, he didn't really mind staying at her house to take care of her- Arceus knew how many times he had done that in the time that he had known Sapphire. She often got cranky, snapped more than usual at him and her insults got a _little _more creative, but in the end Ruby knew that she didn't mean any of it.

She waited for him, this time hanging from a branch as she grinned cheekily down at his scowling visage. "Oh, don't be such a wet blanket, Ruby. This is perfectly safe. You've known me for about ten years now-"

"Thirteen," Ruby corrected automatically.

"Whatever, Prissy Boy." Sapphire stuck her tongue out and launched herself off the branch.

"At least _taunt me on level ground_!" Ruby shouted after her, but as usual she ignored him. He trudged on, trying not to think about the soggy mud that was clinging to his shoes. He was twenty three now, and he really shouldn't be bothered by these small little things, but he figured that it was one of his innermost traits. It was something that he suspected wouldn't change for a while, if ever.

His mind turned back to Sapphire, and he smiled to himself even though his wet hat flopped against his ears, reminding me of the uncomfortably cold storm he was walking through. There was another trait that wouldn't change, he reflected- even if they ended up never actually settling with each other (honestly they were so explosive somebody was bound to implode sooner or later), he would always be protective of his best friend no matter what happened.

It had always been that way, hadn't it? Ever since they had been young kids, all the way up to adulthood, Ruby and Sapphire had always been a package; they'd always been together as one. He'd heard from the loose-lipped trainers at his father's gym that the old matchmaker up in the mountains had predicted a long time ago that their fates would be intertwined; he smirked. Yes, well, was saving the world from two legendaries together enough for intertwining fates?

Red and blue- to him, those colors always seemed to go well together. He honestly didn't know what he would do without Sapphire, and that was a scary thought even for him.

_Speaking of scary- _Ruby was drawn out of his reflections when he realized that he was walking aimlessly through the forest with no guide or sound to tell him where to go. The only thing he heard when he stopped was the swishing of raindrops falling onto the thick canopy of leaves, but there was no twigs snapping under weight or delighted whoops coming from ahead. He felt something cold run down his back, and he mentally cursed- rainwater was not a pleasant thing to have trickling down an exposed back.

"Sapphire?" he called, but there was no answer. Ruby mentally began to panic. "I didn't take a wrong turn," he said aloud, turning a full circle to glance at his surroundings. "At least, I'm pretty sure I didn't."

_Dang it_! This was the reason why he _hated _hiking. Ruby scowled as he pulled out a Pokeball containing Gold's recently evolved Ataro; they'd traded a while back because Ruby had lost a bet with Gold. At first, he'd been rather reticent to the idea of letting Coco leave his side, but he was having so much fun grooming Ataro that he could actually-

Again, Ruby was snapped out of his thoughts by Ataro's chittering from up a tree. "What?" he asked a little snappily- couldn't anyone think in peace around here? He felt another chill run down his back, this time not from rainwater, as Ataro looked away from him and out at an expanse of foliage, pointing and chittering in an extremely agitated manner. Ruby approached the tree, forgetting that his sneakers were sinking in mud. "What is it?" he asked.

Ataro looked at him with an almost impatient look before leaping off the tree and jumping onto the next one, looking back at Ruby as though to say _What are you doing? Follow me!_ Ruby frowned, scratching his head as he wrung out his cap; his sneakers squelched in the mud again but he barely paid attention now.

Just then, a bright light flashed and Ruby heard the familiar roar of Sapphire's Rono. Ataro began jumping up and down on the tree branches, its chittering increasing in volume and speed; Ruby began to fear the worst. "Sapphire?" he shouted, but again there was no response. Ruby decided to go for a different method. "Ataro!" he shouted, and the monkey looked at him, eyes wide as saucers. "Lead the way- and _hurry_!"

At least Gold had trained his Pokemon well to be obedient- the monkey took off, swinging lithely from tree to tree much like Sapphire had been doing five minutes earlier. Or was it ten? Ruby grimaced, cursing his irresponsibility.

He noticed then that Ataro had stopped on a branch about a foot away; Ruby slowed down because he noticed the ground sloped downwards. Sure enough, when he skidded to a stop and gingerly eased himself further using a vine to steady himself, he saw a sudden drop. He surveyed it, noticing that had it been any other day, this slope would have been perfectly safe; but today the mud provided no steady footholds or anything at all to hold on to. His eyes scanned the scene-

"Arceus, _no_," he gasped, and leaped off the cliff he had been standing on and sliding into the mud, not even caring that his red and white shirt was now completely stained with mud. He righted himself at the foot of the slope and slogged through the mud to where Sapphire lay and Rono stood protectively. "Sapphire?" he croaked. "Sapph-"

He had always thought red and blue went well together, but all the red coming from Sapphire did _not _look like it suited her.

Ruby thought fast, leaning down to try and cradle Sapphire in his arms and carry her out of here. "Pilo, where's Pilo," he muttered, scanning the Pokeballs she had at her waist. Sapphire tried to say something, but Ruby glared at her. "Don't say anything," he ordered, more out of panic than anger. "We're going to the Pokemon Center and no matter how much you hate the cleanliness of that place we're _going-_"

"Ruby." Sapphire's voice was soft, broken- it didn't have the quality of strength that made Sapphire _Sapphire _and it broke Ruby's heart. She wasn't breathing, he noticed- it was so shallow that it was barely noticeable. She had always been full of life- _is _full of life, Ruby sternly reminded himself- past tenses weren't acceptable at this point. Sapphire tried to move, but pain wrote itself all over her features and Ruby bit his lip, wishing he could do something to make it stop. "Ruby, I-"

"Stop." Ruby choked back a sob as he searched for Pilo's Pokeball. He found it and released it; the dinosaur looking creature burst out of its Pokeball and immediately geared up for flight. "Sapphire. Just don't talk. You'll be okay."

She reached for his hand, fingers shivering as though they were barely holding on to something tangible. "I love you," she whispered, the raindrops seemingly choosing to stay away from this tender, whispered confession. "I'm sorry-"

Ruby wanted to scream at this point; _what could he do? _He gently laid Sapphire down on the back of Pilo before hopping on and recalling both Ataro and Rono, biting his lip nervously as he did so. "Pokemon Center," he told Pilo, and the Flying Pokemon leaped off the ground and soared into the air without missing a beat. He turned back to Sapphire, whose eyes were half-closed and her breathing shallow. "Sapph, hang on."

Her eyes fluttered open again, and he noticed with distress that her vibrant blue eyes were dulled to the color of unpolished gems. He took her hand and held it tightly. "You're strong, and I love you, and you need to hang on for that," he told her, meaning every single word he said. He pressed a tight kiss to the back of her hand, wishing he could transfer some energy to her and wishing for the life of him that she was somehow pulling an elaborate joke on him.

Several seconds passed, and Ruby realized that it was cold. Sapphire's hand was… cold- _Arceus, no. _

Her eyes were glazed, staring off somewhere behind Ruby- Pilo let out a cry just then as the realization that Sapphire was no longer in the world hit. Ruby sat there in a daze, cradling Sapphire's body to his. The tears came to his eyes, but they weren't the normal tears he'd cried when he was twelve- these came from a deeper place, from the depths of his soul. His chest ached and his throat closed up; he couldn't breathe and neither did he particularly feel like he wanted to. There was an empty chasm yawning from his heart to his mind, trying to erase everything he ever remembered about Sapphire and _Mew_, it felt like someone had just hit him in the head with a hammer and then attempted to suffocate him, because Ruby felt so lightheaded.

He held her close still, trying not to believe it. "Joke's over," he said quietly. "Right? It's a joke?" He tried to laugh. "Wake up." His voice caught in his throat. "It can't be the end, not for you and me, and we still have to beat Green with only just one Pokemon because-" He choked on his words now. "-because we're the best team," he finished painfully. He leaned his forehead against Sapphire's. "Just wake up," he whispered, "_please_."

She didn't move and Ruby eventually looked away, but not before closing her open, lifeless eyes. Pilo looked at him from out of the corner of its eye- Ruby shook his head. "Go back to Birch's," he said dully. "It's only right that I-" and he shuddered, "-that I tell him his daughter's dead."

He'd always thought red and blue looked good together, but he was starting to think that red and silver looked really good together. Silver, like the raindrops, but raindrops weren't silver anymore, were they? They were devoid of color- they were empty. Yes, Ruby thought bitterly as he put his head into his hands, red and empty- that was exactly how it was and how it would be.

* * *

Ah? Yes? No? I felt like I could definitely do a better job, but beggars can't be choosers. I now have to learn about how Pennsylvania was formed- YAY ME. Let me know what you think- did you cry? Did you hate it? Do you hate me? I hope not D: But yes. Drop a comment in the reviews section- click the link down below- you know you want to do it :D


	14. Secret

So here it is! Another drabble. :) This one was another anonymous request I think.

Thank you again to all those who reviewed, and to those who added the story to their favorites/story alert list! I appreciate you guys, I truly do. :D

Disclaimer: I own eggs. Not Pokemon.

* * *

**36. Secret:**  
They think that they're keeping their relationship under wraps and nobody knows they're dating; so they're considerably startled one day when Red and Green sit down, fold their arms and seriously ask them if they've had 'The Talk' yet.

* * *

"How secretive do they think they're being?" Blue asks, her tone disbelieving as she sat against the tall oak tree. She smacked Green, who jolted out of his concentration on his book and she ignored his scowl. "Whatever. You can get back to your reading later. How obvious is it that Ruby and Sapphire are dating?"

"And I care because?" Green adjusted his glasses and settled back down. "Blue, go away."

"Make me." And then Blue squealed when Green reached over. "I didn't mean it _literally_!"

Red chose that moment to come strolling up, his demeanor still rather frosty from all the air on Mt. Silver even though he had chosen to leave his post about a month ago. "Hello," he said quietly, and sat down- not a word more, not a word less, not even a smile- he just sat down and fixed his red gaze on both his best friends.

Blue dropped Green, much to the Gym Leader's relief. "Red!" she squealed, and Green was amused to see Red's eyes flare up with familiar alarm. "Red, tell me- does it look like Ruby and Sapphire are dating to you?"

Red didn't even bother looking; he flopped down on the grass, playing with his Venusaur's Pokeball. "Yes."

"You didn't even look." And both boys heard the dangerous pout in Blue's voice.

Red shrugged. "Yellow says they're dating," he offered, and went silent again.

Blue's reply was cut short by the sound of running feet and then an _ooof _as someone skidded into their midst. Gold scrambled up. "Hi Blue, Green, Red- Blue, do you want to call your red-head idiot brother off? He's trying to kill me and I swear I didn't do anything this time!"

"Get back here!" they heard Silver bellow, and Gold took off again. Green rolled his eyes and put his book away. "I never get anything done around here," he said to nobody in particular. "Blue, why are you so fixated on Ruby and Sapphire?"

"Because they're meant to be!" Blue pointed at them. "Look at them," she said fondly.

Green and Red looked, and to be honest they couldn't see what was so fascinating about the Hoenn pair. They were bickering, as usual, leaving their food untouched- Emerald and Diamond were happily munching on the abandoned food as Ruby and Sapphire got into each other's faces with their bellowed arguments. To the side, the Sinnoh trio watched the fight with what seemed like amusement- amusement at least for Pearl, while Diamond didn't really seem to care and Platina just seemed rather confused.

Red broke the silence. "So?" he asked.

"So- they're dating! If Yellow says they're dating, then they're dating. I wonder for how long?"

Green shook his head. "Is this any of our business?"

"Of course it is! As their seniors, it's important that we set a good example for our juniors and show them that we care about them, their healthy relationships and the choices they make in life." Blue drew herself up and adjusted her cap. "You," she announced imperiously, "need to give them the talk."

Green raised his eyebrow; Red just asked in the same monotone, "What talk?"

His best friend rolled his eyes. "You know," he said in his grumpy tone, "you really stayed up on that blasted mountain for too long."

..

"You know, this is actually pretty good," Ruby complimented as Sapphire sat down next to him in Professor Oak's kitchen. Both of them cradled the porcelain mugs that held the delightfully warm aroma of hot chocolate, but Ruby suddenly frowned. "Although I don't think he meant raiding his cupboards when he said make yourself at home."

Outside in the living room, Pearl and Diamond said something and the Hoenn teenagers heard a loud shout of laughter that must have been from either Gold or Emerald. Sapphire smacked Ruby's back just as he took a small sip of his hot beverage; the boy choked and spluttered into his drink. Sapphire blithely ignored him as she said cheerfully, "Well, we _did_ make ourselves at home, didn't we?"

Ruby just glared at her as he reached for a wad of napkins to mop up the front of his shirt.

Just then, the door swung open and Green and Red walked in; the former looking strangely uncomfortable in his own home while the latter shoved his hands into his pockets and maintained his usual silent demeanor. "Hello," Red offered, and sat down opposite Ruby.

"Hi Red! Hi Green!" Sapphire bounced happily in her seat, excited at the fact that the region's best trainers were sitting opposite her; she was decidedly too happy to see them, Ruby thought as he nodded hello at his two seniors. He hastily squashed the feeling of jealousy that uncoiled within him.

An awkward silence followed Green's decision to sit in the chair opposite Sapphire. "So," Green began, folding his arms. "How long?"

The younger teenagers blinked in confusion. "How long what?" Sapphire asked.

Red chose to lean his chin against his hand. "How long have you been dating," he clarified.

If anything, it was the quick denials and emphasized "_What? I'm not dating him/her_!" that gave the two away. Green also noticed the rapid blinking Ruby did and Sapphire's convulsive knee jerk when Red mentioned it; they were definitely caught unawares by the line of questioning. "Okay, so," he said in his usual cool tone. "you're _not _dating?"

There was a long pause before Ruby said in an exasperated tone, "Sapphire, I thought we agreed not to tell anyone."

"I _didn't_!"

"OKAY," Red yelled as soon as both of them raised their voices and began arguing again. Green blinked in confusion at his friend- he hadn't heard that loud a voice emerge from Red ever since he had left for Mt. Silver. Red immediately reverted back to his stoic self when both teenagers ceased bickering and blinked at him in surprise. "Continue," Red said laconically to Green.

Green cleared his throat, unsure of how to approach this topic. He hadn't ever planned on giving this speech- _ever_, not even to his kids (well if he had planned on having any, that is). "Well," he began, "with a relationship comes great responsibility. There are consequences, and neither of you are planning on-"

"What are you trying to tell us?" Sapphire interrupted, already impatient with the entire speech. Green grimaced and looked to Red for help, but the other boy simply raised his shoulders and let them drop.

"What I'm trying to say is that as you grow older, there will be…" Green stopped, feeling a dull flush suffuse his cheeks. "_Red, a little help here?" _he growled at the Champion.

Again, Red shrugged. "Temptations?" he prompted, but only when Green glared at him with a look threatening painful death.

"Hang on," Ruby cut in, coming out of his distracted thoughts and picking up on Green's serious tone, "are you trying to give us _the talk_?"

"Have you heard it before?" Green asked with some relief- maybe he wouldn't have to give the speech after all!

Ruby shook his head. "I think my dad thought he would never have to give it to me."

"What talk?" Sapphire asked in confusion, and Green gave up.

"Never mind," he said, getting up from the table. "Don't do anything stupid, that's all I'm saying." He left the group and walked outside, where there was another roar of laughter from Pearl and Diamond's comedy act.

Both Hoenn teenagers stared at Red, who stood up too and idly played with the bill of his cap. "Don't have sex until you're married," he said plainly before following Green out the door.

Ruby and Sapphire choked on their hot chocolate. "_That's _what the talk was about?" Ruby cried, his eyes wide as saucers. "I always thought it was something about being a man- or something. You would relate well to that, Sapph-"

Sapphire hit him on the head.

"You just _hit _me on the head." Ruby scowled.

"You're being annoying."

"Why are we dating?"

"Shhh! I thought we didn't want everyone else to know!"

Both of them contemplated that statement for a while. "Why _did _we agree on that?" Ruby ventured finally.

Sapphire shrugged. "We thought it would be easier?" she suggested.

"Maybe." Ruby shrugged. "But now that Red and Green know-"

"You're right, there really isn't any-"

"-point to that," Ruby finished, and both of them grinned at each other.

Both of them sipped their hot chocolate before Sapphire broke the comfortable silence. "So, why did Green try to give us that entire speech?"

"I have no clue. Maybe Blue put him up to it."

"Do you think we _really _needed Red to tell us that?"

Ruby snorted and took Sapphire's fingers in his. "Nope. I'm happy the way we are right now." And then he smiled inwardly as Sapphire blushed and stuttered something indistinguishable.

...

That was so bad. I know I really wanted to write this, but then halfway through it like _died_. My muse eloped I do think; maybe I should have given HER the talk. I am terribly sorry if this does not make expectations. :/

I do hope you enjoyed it though! Please review :D


	15. Black

Okay, back to angsty fiction! Time to redeem myself, bwahahahahaha.

Disclaimer: I own chickens. But not Pokemon.

* * *

**21. black**

As the Arbok rears back and hisses before slithering quickly the way it came, Diamond holds his injured arm and tries to stop the poison from snaking through his body; his attempts are futile, and as the world begins to darken, he sees Platina's face.

* * *

It wasn't that he didn't know what the dangers were like when he agreed to become Professor Birch's assistant in field work. He knew them. Sapphire warned him, Ruby advised him, Professor Birch told him to be extra careful and not have his head up in the clouds all the time.

But really, when one was at a point in life where nothing seemed to matter now, death almost seemed like a good friend to have.

…

Diamond trudged along the mud-spattered trail, making sure that he followed the detailed map Ruby and Sapphire gave him. "Did they _already _explore this entire thing?" he muttered to himself, a little amazed at how much ground they had covered and how detailed the map was (Ruby's handiwork, no doubt, since he suspected Sapphire wouldn't have the patience to sit down and figure out where north and south was).

His phone vibrated, and Diamond pulled it out and hit 'answer'. "Hello?" he asked, his heart racing and jumping into his throat.

But of course it wasn't the voice he wanted to hear. It never was. Instead, Ruby's voice filtered through the small phone Platina had given to Diamond for his birthday (Diamond hastily pushed that thought away). "Hey Diamond," he said cheerily. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I'm just going on a short journey. Plus Birch said he wanted some samples from the northwestern region," Diamond answered, trying to sound just as upbeat as his Hoenn counterpart. He really didn't feel like talking, so he cut in over Ruby's response. "Hey, Ruby, I have to go. I think I'm losing connection-" and he pressed the red disconnect button on his phone, feeling a little bit guilty but not guilty enough to call back and apologize.

How strange, Diamond reflected, that he had changed so much. Had he been back in Sinnoh, it would have been Pearl who pulled a stunt like that, and Diamond would have made some effort at reprimanding his best friend. He had never thought that he would be so… well, mean.

They'd all changed, and nobody knew that better than Diamond. He had watched his friendship with Pearl strengthen over the years; yet even now at his lowest point he couldn't bring himself to confide in the now lanky blonde. And if he couldn't trust Pearl, he reasoned, who could he trust? Platina? No, she was too busy with her fiancée- her _husband_ now, Diamond thought with just a hint of bitterness. That wedding a month ago had been one of the most painful things he had to endure.

He'd called her that morning, and she had picked up on the second ring as usual. "Diamond?" she had asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Diamond stared at her image for a moment, remembering that she had never actually called him by his nickname- it had always been formal touch and go with them, hadn't it? Platina continued to rub the sleep out of her eyes, and Diamond was brought back to reality.

"Hi," he said quietly. He scratched his ear awkwardly as the both of them kept silent for a while, unspoken thoughts and ghosts of memories filling the lines between them. Diamond finally plucked up his courage, and asked, "How's Elroy?"

"He's fine. Still sleeping." Platina blinked once, and Diamond tried to convince himself that this was a secret signal for him to come save her from a life of misery. _Don't be stupid_, his inner voice chided him. _You know better. _

Platina cleared her throat and continued on. "How's research with Professor Birch?"

"Fine." Diamond hesitated before plunging on. "I'm going for a journey," he said quickly. "I need to explore new things, see new people and places… get away from things for a while." He stopped, and there it was again, the elephant filling the room. "So… this will be the last time you hear from me," he said quietly, "for a long time at least."

She hesitated too before smiling brightly. "I always thought you would go out on your own someday," she said. "Though you've never gone out on your own before, have you?"

"No." And Diamond wished she would say something, offer to come with him like she used to.

She nodded, almost absently, her thoughts already far off. "I see," she said, although Diamond thought she didn't see at all. "Where are you going?"

He didn't hesitate, because he knew he had already lost her and there was no point to convince himself otherwise. "Through the Hoenn jungle and then I'll just wander," he said quietly. He glanced to the side, as though somebody was calling him and then he made his escape. "I have to go, Missy. Goodbye."

She said an absent-minded goodbye, and Diamond hastily hung up.

That was when he had left all his Pokemon behind and left the lab without a word.

The thoughts that occupied his mind now revolved around the short conversation they had had that morning. Diamond barely glanced around as he trudged through the forest, ducking under hanging vines and grasping branches for comfort and stability. Not bringing his Pokemon had been a suicide move, he thought briefly to himself, but then he remembered part of the reason why he had come out here in the first place. He needed adrenaline to feel alive, to revive the part of him that had died when Platina walked away and chose someone else.

The sound of hissing drew him back to the present, and he felt the hairs on his arms stand up as he realized he had walked straight into the nest of Arbok Sapphire and Ruby had taken such great care to warn him about. The biggest Arbok reared up, swaying and hissing as its forked tongue flickered between two deadly fangs.

Diamond didn't move. His waist immediately felt empty, and he wondered vaguely why he hadn't bothered to bring his Pokemon with him. Then he remembered. _He had wanted to die. _

Behind him, he could feel rustling, and another Arbok slithered into view from behind. They were all around him now, and he couldn't move even if he wanted to.

_Did _he want to? Diamond observed the predicament he was in, and smiled at the irony of it all. He never moved. He never made the first step, and it had cost him more than a couple missed opportunities- it had cost him the girl he had ever really loved. He never made the first move to ask her _why, _either, and so he would die never knowing the reason why she had walked away from him and straight into the arms of another. He would never know that at all-

It happened so fast that Diamond was caught unawares. A sharp pain flashed through his left arm and he gasped, stumbling backwards. The Arbok hissed triumphantly, drawing itself up to its full height and celebrating its easy victory- both Arbok slithered back the way they came and through the bushes. Diamond gritted his teeth, feeling intense pain from the poison rush up his arm and through his body- he could almost envision it now, attacking every single nerve and muscle he had in his body. He grasped his left arm with his right arm, trying desperately to remember anything Pearl had said about first aid or poison stings- he suddenly wished his best friend was with him right now.

He stumbled back along the way he came, and suddenly his legs gave out beneath him. Diamond grimaced; he remembered Professor Birch said that poison usually affected the legs first, so the prey couldn't run very far. Of all the useless information he needed to know _now_-

His fingers clumsily dialed Ruby's number, and the Hoenn boy picked up with a cheerful "Hi, Dia! Where are you now?"

"Arbok," Diamond choked out, feeling his fingers begin to lose all sorts of sensations but clinging on desperately. "Nest of Arbok-"

"What?" Ruby was off in a minute, and Diamond could vaguely hear him yelling at someone for help. "Dia! Where are you?"

He was too tired to listen or answer. Diamond dropped the phone and it lay there uselessly, Ruby's voice demanding answers from the earpiece. The Sinnoh Dex Holder lay there in the middle of the clearing, feeling his life force ebb away moment by moment as the poison spread through his veins. It was funny, but he thought he was seeing hallucinations as the world grew dimmer and dimmer. He thought he was seeing Platina hovering over him, smiling that amazing smile as she whispered, "It was always you, Dia. It was always… you."

Then the world went black, and Diamond remembered no more.

* * *

_Cause I love you more than I could ever promise  
And you take me the way I am_

* * *

WHY DID I EVER AGREE TO WRITE THIS? WHY? I seem to really enjoy sad endings and making people die lately. :( Things just _never _work out between Platina and Diamond! Luckily, the next one up is at least a happy one.

Review please and feel free to let me know how horrible my muse is- she's currently sulking while eating sour Skittles.


	16. Kaleidoscope

Asdfghjkl! I'm so sorry for the long delay. See what happened was I went to Reno for the weekend, but then I got home and BOOM I find out my Internet connection has completely frizzed out on me. : ( Soooo without any delay, here's the new chapter! I am terribly sorry for making everyone wait D:

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. If I did, I would be suing Internet companies for taking away my Internet.

…

**31. kaleidoscope**

"_This _is what commoners do?" she asks, puzzled, as Diamond hands her the tiny kaleidoscope; she looks through it and is immediately fascinated at how the colors dance: "It's beautiful!" she exclaims, and Diamond says "Yeah, you are," before he realizes what he's said.

…

"I think that's a Bulbasaur." Pearl squinted into the small little tube. He took the tube away from his eye and handed it to the almost sleeping Diamond. "Oy, wake up," he said, pushing his best friend's side.

"But I'm so sleepy," Diamond yawned, stretching even further on the lush green grass.

"Well, I _told _you not to eat so many rice balls," Pearl said grumpily. He suddenly brightened up, and Diamond sighed, sitting up.

"Yes, Pearl, I know. Let's practice our comedy act." He shook his head, though out of fond amusement for his best friend. "When you think of Pokemon-"

Just then, both boys felt a Pokemon rub up against their sides, and they looked down to see a familiar looking Pachirisu by their feet. "Hello," Diamond said cheerfully, his spirits lifting, "where's-"

"Right here." Platina leaped off her Rapidash, scratching under its head before returning it to its Pokeball. "Father said you would be here." She settled down next to Diamond, who smiled at her and she smiled back. "What are you boys up to?"

"Oh, you know. The usual. Nothing." Pearl flopped back down onto the grass, his scarf getting squashed under him. "It seems like this whole summer we've been lying on a hill doing _nothing_." His tone was petulant, almost complaining; but Diamond knew that Pearl probably wouldn't have it any other way.

"Let's be fair," Platina said reasonably, "there _is _only one week of summer left. We might as well enjoy it before we have to go back to help out at our respective jobs."

All three of them fell silent as they remembered that Pearl was leaving them for a job in Johto, where DJ Mary had invited him to be a guest deejay on her show. Diamond felt a little bit alone; he hadn't been too far from Pearl before, but _Johto_? Knowing Pearl, he probably wouldn't reply any of Diamond's letters until he came home to Sinnoh.

Pearl broke the silence as he said brightly, "Well, I might as well go home. Mom wants me to call Gold and confirm that I'm staying with him." He turned towards Diamond and winked as he left, waving a cheery farewell to the pair; Diamond blushed when he realized what his best friend had just done. Of course, Platina waved back, not knowing how much Diamond was debating whether to kill his best friend or not.

The pair sat in comfortable silence for a while before Diamond broke it. "So, Missy, what are you going to do for the last week of summer?"

She shrugged, a habit learnt from both her friends, 'commoners' as her butler sometimes fondly referred to them as. "I don't know quite just yet. Maybe I'll go to Hoenn; Father's been aching to visit Professor Birch about his recent research." She glanced at Diamond out of the corner of her eye. "What are your plans, Dia?"

Diamond fiddled with the kaleidoscope. Truthfully, he'd imagined that he'd stay in Sinnoh with Platina and take it from there. "I don't know at all," he answered honestly. He gestured at the green grass around them, saying, "I'll probably just sit here and enjoy what's left of our hot Sinnoh summer."

Platina didn't answer as her eyes fell on the strange object Diamond was twirling in his hands. "What is that?" she wondered, pointing at it.

Diamond looked down at the metal tube. "Oh, this? It's a kaleidoscope. Have you never seen one before?"

"I've heard about them, but I've never actually seen one…"

Diamond wasn't slow on picking up the wistful tone in Platina's voice. "Take a look," he offered, handing it to her.

She took it, her fingers brushing against his skin like warm flames licking the surface on a cold night. "This is what you commoners do for fun?" she asked, and again Diamond found himself not insulted by the usually derogatory term. Platina took her eye away from the tube for a moment, suddenly realizing how awful she had sounded, and begin to stutter out an apology, but Diamond waved his hand at her.

"Don't worry about it," he yawned, and Platina found herself mentally comparing him to Pearl. Pearl would have taken the apology and then he would have given her a hard time about it later; it would have surely consisted of why she still considered them commoners since she accompanied them every day. But Diamond… Diamond was different, and Platina liked the calming effect he had on her.

"Take a look," Diamond repeated again when he noticed Platina staring at a spot to the left of his head, seemingly lost in her thoughts. Platina jumped in surprise, shocked out of her reverie, and blushed slightly as she put the tube to her eye once again.

She was immediately captivated by the world of vibrant colors that danced before her. "This is beautiful," she breathed, fascinated as the colors changed with every passing moment. She squinted, muttering to herself, "Is that a _Bulbasaur_…?"

Diamond propped himself up on his elbows, watching as his other best friend played with the kaleidoscope. The wind blew towards him, and he could vaguely pick out the subtle notes of rose and honey sweet apple that he associated with Platina's perfume. He inhaled deeply, allowing the scent to make its way into his memories and carve for itself a niche, a niche that he fiercely protected.

Platina continued to stare into the tube. "It's beautiful!" she repeated again, and Diamond found himself speaking with no thought to anything that might happen.

"Yeah, you are." Diamond flushed a bright red when he realized what he had just said, but Platina was unfazed, only looking away from her new fascination to beam brightly at Diamond.

"Thank you, Diamond," she answered quietly, her sweet smile blossoming over her face one more time. "You're quite handsome yourself."

He fumbled with the compliment, unsure of what to say to that. "Thanks," he mumbled. "Platina, can I ask you a question?" His heart hammered in his chest, beating out a strange unsteady beat that pounded in his ears like a drunken war chant.

"Of course," she answered absently, still peering into the kaleidoscope.

He swallowed, wishing his mouth wasn't _quite _so dry. "Do you think we'll be together ten years from now?" he asked.

She put it down, confusion written all over her faces. "Of course, Diamond. We'll be friends forever, won't we? You can't let someone who's saved the world with you go so easily." She smiled brightly at him.

_That was __**not **__the answer I was hoping for, _Diamond thought, mentally cursing himself for lacking the courage to ask her outright. "Of course," he covered up hastily. "But really, Platina, what I meant to ask was-"

As it was in all clichéd romance movies, Platina's phone rang just then. Diamond almost bit his tongue off in frustration- really? Arceus, he couldn't even _ask _a decent question these days? Platina flashed him an apologetic smile before answering her phone. "Hi, Father," she said into her phone. "I don't know- maybe you should- well, I thought I saw some meat in the fridge. Please don't cut yourself trying to cook it anymore... yes, I will see you at home tonight."

She hung up, shaking her head. "Father is so amusing when he tries to cook," she remarked, laughing a laugh that Diamond found ridiculously amazing (and apparently so did his stomach and heart since they kept doing somersaults). "What were you going to ask me, Diamond?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I… well, let's just enjoy this summer."

And then the impossible happened. Platina got up and scooted over to him, her perfume filling the air all around him until Diamond was sure he would never be able to smell anything other than sweet apples dipped in honey. "That sounds like a good idea," she said brightly, putting the kaleidoscope down and leaning her head against Diamond's head. She yawned all of a sudden, apologizing with a "Sorry, I'm suddenly so tired…"

"That's okay," Diamond got out, making sure that he wasn't dreaming by pinching himself and then blinking rapidly. Once he had ascertained that it _wasn't _a dream, he sighed quietly and let his body relax against the tree, closing his eyes. _This is bliss, _he thought to himself as he drifted off into sleep, Platina already snoozing quietly on his shoulder.

(Well, it was bliss until the clock hit eight and then Platina's father panicked and sent out a search team for the pair of missing teenagers. It was bliss until _then_…)

…

Well, that's it! Read? Review? :D Forgive me for the long delay?


	17. Old Weddings

It's finally here! It's finally here! The new chapter/installment is here! Sorry for the long delay… as I've mentioned in the other fics, school's been a dictator lately. I've had absolutely no time. But now it's Christmas break, so my muse (hopefully) doesn't decide to go on a break!

Again, I'm terribly sorry. Forgive me please? :3 I even combined two prompts into one chapter! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my computer, and even then that's doubtful, as my parents frequently remind me…

* * *

**29. Old  
**As they go from twelve year olds to taller nineteen year olds, the seniors notice with amusement that despite their advancement in years, Ruby and Sapphire still bicker like children.

**12. wedding  
**"We'll both get married someday, won't we?" Platina asks wistfully as Daisy and Bill walk down the aisle- Diamond chokes loudly on the rice balls he had been sneakily eating, and up from the altar, Green shoots him a death glare.

* * *

The day was sunny, the weather warm. _Honestly_, Yellow thought happily to herself as she played with Pichu and Red's Pikachu, _Daisy and Bill couldn't have picked better weather to get married_. She glanced over, to where the nervous groom was randomly hitting keys on his Pokedex just to soothe his frazzled nerves. She also noted with amusement how Professor Oak's eyes widened like saucers when he saw what Bill was doing to his precious invention, and how he began to start towards his future grandson-in law before visibly restraining himself and turning his back to talk to a startled Red about the weather in Sinnoh.

_Yes, _Yellow noted to herself, _a perfect day, indeed._

…

"Would you please hurry the tempo?" Sapphire hissed into Ruby's ear, and while the Hoenn boy glared at her, his fingers did start moving quicker over the organ keys. "Bossy," he muttered, and Sapphire stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh, real mature, Sapphire. You're nineteen and you still resort to sticking your tongue out at me-"

"Sapphire," Platina intervened diplomatically, having come up to see the Hoenn couple about to launch into another one of their famous fights. "Would you please give me a hand with the bouquet of flowers on the far east side of the garden? Misty doesn't do very well with flower arrangements."

Ruby's mouth dropped open, but when Sapphire moved out of earshot, Platina whispered to him, "Don't worry. Erika's on hand. She can handle Sapphire."

Ruby nodded approvingly and went back to his organ.

Platina surveyed her handiwork, smiling to herself, and was suddenly surprised when somebody patted her shoulder. Diamond stood there awkwardly, dressed in a suit that emphasized his cheekbones and dark eyes. "So, uh, Green sent me to tell you that you should probably get the guests seated," he murmured. "He's currently convincing Bill that getting married alone on the back of a Fearow would not be a good idea."

Platina allowed herself a laugh of surprise. "I thought we specifically told Pearl not to give Bill too much to drink."

"Oh, he swears up and down that he never gave Bill anything. Bill came up with this all on his own." Diamond smiled.

Platina raised her eyebrow. "Dare I ask?"

"No, let's just leave it at that…"

…

"…do you, Bill…" The short-sighted old priest blinked a couple times at his piece of paper before deciding to go on with the ceremony. "Um…do you vow to take care of Daisy, through sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for better or worse?"

Bill had turned a pale white, and Platina feared that he would pitch forward and faint on top of Daisy. "He's not going to die, is he?" she whispered to Diamond, who looked unduly unconcerned about Bill's state of health.

Diamond shrugged. "He's nervous. Understandably so." He pulled out a plastic bag, and Platina stared at it. Diamond glanced over. "I'm hungry," he defended himself before offering the bag to her. "Want some?"

She shook her head and returned her gaze to the ceremony. Daisy too looked perfectly casual; evidently, she had seen this coming and was willing to wait. Bill opened his mouth, but nothing came out, and that was when Green cleared his throat meaningfully.

"I-I d-do," Bill stammered, and the priest nodded.

Over by her right, Platina heard Pearl mutter to himself, "I knew I should have given him something stronger to drink."

Daisy got through her vows with the composure of a stately queen at her coronation, and Platina couldn't help but admire how happy she was, even though she seemed to be very different from the goofy Bill. "They look so happy together," she whispered to Diamond.

"I think they are," Diamond murmured back. "When I was working with Professor Oak over the summer, I barely saw these two apart, they were so inseparable. Green wasn't very happy about it…but I mean, it's Green." He turned to smile at Platina, trying his best to squash the feeling of sudden longing that filled his heart. "I guess true love does funny things for you."

Ruby resumed his organ playing as the bride and groom kissed, and everyone leaped to their feet, roaring with approval as Bill and Daisy broke apart and waved at the audience. As they were descending from the altar, Daisy clutching tightly to Bill's arm, Platina cocked her head. "We'll get married someday, won't we?" she asked wistfully.

Diamond choked on the rice ball he was eating, and up from the altar, Green sent him a glare that would have withered the healthiest of trees. Diamond waved meekly at him before turning to Platina, his heart swelling with hope. "I'm _sorry_?" he got out, hardly daring to believe it.

"You and me. We'll marry someone someday, right? And be as happy as Bill and Daisy?" Platina watched the couple proceed down the aisle, evidently unaware of the near-death experience she had given Diamond.

_Oh. That._

"Yeah, I guess." Diamond tried not to look disappointed. "Course you'll get married. Who wouldn't want to marry you?"

Platina blushed, but Diamond felt his heart sink even further than it usually did.

…

"Well, as usual, you went overboard with the decorations," Ruby overheard Green remark dryly to Blue as they slow danced out on the dance floor. Green had a pinched look on his face; no doubt Blue had tricked him somehow into doing this. _Not that he minds_, Ruby thought in amusement, though he didn't dare say it aloud. His Pokemon still had traumatizing memories of Green's Charizard looming over them.

Blue, for her part, shrugged casually. "Erika didn't complain."

"_Erika_ was busy saving her Gloom from the clutches of your Blastoise."

"It's not _my _fault Gloom sprayed that weird perfume all over Blasty…"

"Why am I marrying you again?"

"I don't know, Green dear, but you're not backing out now."

"_There _you are." Sapphire dropped into the seat next to Ruby, and the red eyed boy jerked out of his observations, clearly startled. "I've been looking all over for you."

"I'm sure you have, between your busy dances with Pearl and Diamond and Emerald and Red and who knows who else," Ruby grumbled, trying not to look at his girlfriend. He had to admit, Sapphire did look beautiful tonight. The dress she had chosen to wear- chosen? More like forced to- was a striking choice of teal, embroidered with white flowers at the bottom. His finest work, Ruby congratulated himself; then promptly remembered that he was supposed to be mad at Sapphire, not thinking about how amazing she looked in that thing.

"It's not my fault that you've been sitting here," Sapphire snapped, and still Ruby refused to look at her. "You couldn't have moved to come find me?"

"Why couldn't you have come to find _me_?"

"Who's the gentleman here?"

"Well, it's not like you're very much of a lady either."

Crystal approached them just then, but when she saw how quickly Ruby's fingers were tapping the table and how Sapphire's hands were tightening into fists, she grabbed a surprised Gold and Silver and dragged them off to the far end of the dance floor.

"After seven years, and you're _still _saying I'm not a lady?"

"That's right. Last week, you ate more than five plates of my mom's food!"

"EXCUSE ME? I was hungry!"

"That's another thing, Sapphire- you _never _ask to be excused!"

"Neither do you!"

"But I'm not a lady!"

"Ya know what, Ruby? That can be debated."

"That was _such _a cheap shot."

Red had joined Green and Blue by the side of the room, amusedly sipping his cup of punch as Yellow sidled over, innocently tugging her ponytail. Opposite them, Pearl and Diamond were half-listening to the conversation as they practiced their stand-up comedy routine; Platina leaned against the wall as she diplomatically tried to engage a disinterested Sabrina in conversation. In short, the whole room was paying some degree of attention to the bickering Hoenn couple.

The argument raged on. "Hey, if I'm not a lady, you're a slob."

"You _take that back_, Sapphire Birch."

"Make me."

"You're _insufferable_!"

Over by the bride and groom's table, both Professor Oak and Professor Elm were making bets on how long the argument would last. Professor Birch, on the other hand, was wearily discussing with Gym Leader Norman how long it would take before their children would marry each other and quit threatening to break up.

"Oh, REAL MATURE, Sapphire. Is sticking your tongue out the best way to retort?"

"Wouldn't _you _like to know!"

"Fine. See if I ever have my Pokemon spar with you ever again."

"They were getting weak anyway."

"Nyeh nyeh nyeh, I can't hear you!"

At this, Crystal dropped her face into her hands as Gold and Silver joined the betting pool. Neither Professors protested.

Green glanced over to where his sister and Bill were sitting, oddly the only two people in the room who were not paying attention to the fighting couple. "Think we should stop those two yet?" he drawled.

Blue shook her head, a Cheshire cat smile lighting up her face. "Nah. The guests need some degree of entertainment."

Red took another sip of his punch before remarking, "You think that they would have learned to get along by now…"

The seniors observed their juniors with a degree of amusement. "I don't know," Blue observed. "They're _obviously _in love." She poked Green, who raised an eyebrow in response. "Hey, maybe they'll be the next couple to get married, hmm?"

Green snorted as he watched both Ruby and Sapphire, who looked about to murder each other with their glasses of water. "Oh, that will be a fun wedding to go to, alright."

* * *

Well? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Hopefully not the last one. But let me know :] Read and review, please please please? And again I am begging for forgiveness! You can't see it but I'm making a puppy dog pout :[

Oh, and also, I'll be heading off to vacation for a couple weeks, and won't be back till January. I doubt I'll get Internet, so no fics for a while :/ And then once I get back, school starts, so be forewarned! BEWARE THE PERILS OF SCHOOL.


	18. Bound

Four more months. Four... more... months.. and summer will be here and I may actually be able to have a life again.

I deeply apologize for this long delay. Truly deeply sorry. I'm just glad that Fanfiction hasn't taken my account and thrown it out the window yet!

Disclaimer: I do not have rights to Pokemon. I do however have rights to my own mental state of mind... No, just kidding, I don't even have _that_.

* * *

**four : bound;**  
He mentions briefly to Red how he feels like they've been unceremoniously thrown together with Blue as a twist of fate; Red sheds his dense personality for a moment to smile knowingly and say, "I think you and Blue are bound together tighter than I am with either of you, y'know?"

* * *

Summer was here again, and Green hated it. He felt restless, and he knew his Pokemon were restless, too- Golduck thrashed around in its Pokeball and Charizard had taken to blowing out flames for no apparent reason every time it was let out of its confines. He'd told Charizard to cut it out, Yellow wasn't going to like Viridian Forest burning down- but the big orange dragon merely blinked at him, either out of annoyance or disappointment, and huffed loudly, sitting down where the flames inevitably burned the patch of grass they were in. Golduck would grimace before putting out the flames with a well-placed Water Gun, and Machamp would only sigh.

And Yellow wondered aloud why the grass wasn't growing as well.

The only reason why Green tolerated summer was because it meant that Red came down from Mt. Silver more often. It made no sense to the common man (Arceus knew that Green had _tried _to understand), but Red's only explanation was a shrug, and the muttered phrase "It's too hot".

Oh yes, _too hot_, but he could stay up there during _winter_, where it was _freezing cold_.

But Green wouldn't complain aloud; instead he stayed in the usual training clearing of the forest, where only a select few could find him. He noted with satisfaction that only the Kanto Dex Holders could find him (although Gold was not short on trying); it just meant that he had more time for training, more time for harder work, and when Red arrived, his silent specter sat on the sidelines till Green turned to him and jerked his head to signal _Get into the ring._

Oh, he never won, but it was a great challenge, nevertheless.

Summer also meant that Red kept his training sessions shorter than usual in order to make for their traditional sandwich lunch. Sometimes Red would silently produce a bag of sandwiches, tear them in half, and hand them to Green; sometimes Green would get up half an hour earlier to make the sandwiches; sometimes neither of them would make the sandwiches and Blue would 'conveniently' drop in with an extra bag she had as she was 'just dropping by'. Green once observed casually that she always dropped in on the third Saturday of every month, and Blue just laughed at the coincidence of it all.

Coincidence was _not _in Green's vocabulary, but again, he didn't complain because food was food and Blue somehow made really good cheese and ham sandwiches.

He brought it up one day while he and Red sat under the shade of a big tree. "Why do you think Blue keeps coming down here?" he asked pensively.

Red shrugged, as per his usual demeanor, and Green kept talking, even though he didn't like talking, and silences comforted him. "I mean, she visits Crystal and Silver a lot. That's the only reason why she's in Viridian so much. Right?"

Red clearly did not feel inclined to answer.

Green brought it up again a week later. "I mean, Yellow's here, too. And we all know that Blue and Yellow are best friends."

Red shrugged and gave Pikachu some of his sandwich.

It wasn't till two weeks later that Green broke their silence again. "I don't understand," he muttered. "It was just the two of us, wasn't it?"

A silent nod.

"How strange then, that we've been thrown together with Blue." Green motioned in the air, his voice a monotone still, but his thoughts mulling over in his mind. "It's like- it's like-" He frowned, lost for words, because Red wasn't providing any help. "It's like we've all been unceremoniously fated to be together," he finished awkwardly.

This time, Red didn't just fix Green with a blank stare. He actually seemed to be thinking over the conversation for a while, thinking, contemplating. Finally, he coughed, and Green almost dropped his apple at the sudden noise.

"Uh…" Red took his cap off to absently play with the bill of the cap. "I think you and Blue are more fated than some of us. You know?" And he finished his sentence with an awkward uplift of the tone before putting the cap back on and reaching for the last sandwich Green had left.

His best friend stared at him, mouth hanging open at how many words Red had just said in a row. The red-eyed boy just stared right back at him, chewing the sandwich with the tiniest- yes, just the _tiniest_- smirk on his face before handing over the sandwich to Pikachu on his shoulder.

Drat, Green fumed, even that yellow electrical mouse was mocking him.

He didn't say anything in response, because that was just how Green operated, and neither did Red. Neither one of them breached the subject, especially not when Blue was around, but even when she was gone they operated as though it was one of those taboo subjects that children learned to fear and hush at. Green tried comforting himself with the thought that there was no such thing as _fate_; Red merely smirked knowingly as he fed his Pikachu and watched his two best friends bicker over something simple.

Neither one of them brought Blue up much anymore, instead choosing to sit in comfortable silence and read books while their Pokemon lounged in the sun and enjoyed their rest. It had been a year since Green and Red had had their little _talk_ (if you could even call it that, Green thought to himself later), and Blue dropped by more frequently now, often dropping in when Green and Red least expected it. (Well, Green didn't expect it. Red simply did not care.)

Finally, Green put his book down. "I asked her to dinner," he said in the flattest tone possible, a tone conveying how utterly disinterested he was.

Red didn't put his book away like his best friend. "Really," he answered, his voice still soft as ever, eyes scanning the page. "Lose a bet?"

"No-o," Green muttered.

Red merely smiled knowingly, the corners of his mouth lifting. "It's about time, then."

"Funny. That's what she said."

Yeah, summer was pretty bad, Green reflected, but at least he had a reason to remember it fondly now.

* * *

Hey look! It's done. :) I hope you guys enjoyed this little chapter- I am a little rusty on the creative writing so go easy on me, please? :D Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated.


	19. Welcome

I love this holiday we call WINTER BREAK. I can breathe again, you guys. And tonight, my muse decided to drop in, but she left halfway through. Let's hope she left us something good!

Disclaimer: I own Joseph. Who's Joseph? My cat. Just kidding. I don't even have a cat.

* * *

**48. Welcome:  
**In every city, Sapphire is welcomed as a renowned Dex Holder, but she's never received a warmer welcome than her boyfriend lounging by the mouth to the secret hideout, grinning as he holds his arms out to her.

* * *

Sapphire grimaced at her traveling seatmate. "Do we _have _to?" she whined, petulance finding a way to creep into her tone. "I'm really tired, and I mean, they-"

"Oh, Sapphire, do be patient," Emerald cut in from beside her. "You defeated the Champion-" and Sapphire chose not to hear the muttered "_again_", instead focusing in on the rest of his sentence- "and it's only fitting that you return to each town for each Gym Leader to celebrate your achievements."

"Emerald's right," Steven put in, leaning over to smile reassuringly at the scowling Hoenn trainer. "You know, Sapphire, you didn't really have to come back to defeat Joseph. I mean, let him have his reign. What was it this time, a month?"

"That title is rightfully mine," Sapphire pointed out defensively.

"True, but you're not exactly staying at your post to defeat trainers."

Sapphire opened her mouth before realizing that she didn't have a solid argument ready. "Neither did Wallace, or you," she said lamely.

"Oh, we all know why Wallace never stayed at _his _post-" and here Steven's eyes twinkled mischievously- "and when I had the reign, Team Rocket was causing chaos. It's not exactly my fault."

Sapphire sighed. "The Elite Four does a good job of defeating trainers before they ever get to me. And Green did a good job of ensuring that my Pokemon can fight without my command."

"Not that you let them do it, of course- _ow_!" And Emerald yelped as Sapphire punched him at his muttered thought. "What? All I'm saying is that you wouldn't _dream _of letting your Pokemon fight without you by their side!"

Sapphire narrowed her blue eyes at him, and the shorter boy subsided into grumbling dissent while Steven merely smiled in amusement. "All _I'm _saying, Sapphire," he advised gently, "is that this is part of our Gym Leader tradition. It's a cross you have to bear every time you return to the top ranked position of our land." His eyes sparkled with teasing good humor. "Maybe next time you shouldn't lose, hmm?"

"That-" Sapphire spluttered, "-that was because I was distracted! Plus he cheated, I'm sure of it."

"Of course," Emerald muttered, rolling his eyes and when Sapphire made a move towards him he squeaked and shot across to Steven's bench, where it was presumably safer.

Steven was desperately trying not to laugh, but being the gentleman that he was, he suppressed it. "Of course, Sapphire," he echoed Emerald sans the sarcastic tone. "Let's ignore the fact that it's perfectly legal to bring in several Potions and Revives."

Sapphire sank back in her seat and sighed. "I was distracted," she insisted to no one in particular as she glanced outside the window, where the train tracks were whipping by. Emerald opened his mouth to say something, but shut it when Steven shot him a warning glance and shook his head.

Both Emerald and Steven knew that there were only two reasons why Sapphire was so loathe to wasting more time on formalities- one was because it was in her nature to attempt to stay out of traditional ceremonies; two, it meant further time away from a certain white-capped boy back home.

…

"I swear, Wattson and Flannery go out of their way to make it even more painful for me," Sapphire complained later as she returned Pilo to its Pokeball. "I can handle things like standing in front of Dewford and waving, because Brawly hates these festivals as much as I do and they don't last long- but full ceremonial dress? Really, Norman?"

The Petalburg Gym Leader Norman snorted. "Well, aren't you glad Petalburg doesn't do that for you?"

"Very glad. Thank you, by the way, for agreeing to skip everything. I'm not quite sure I could stand another one…"

"Those girly things? Ah, no problem." Norman waved his hand at the Hoenn Champion as he locked up his Gym. "I hated them anyway. Besides, I'm sure the whole of Petalburg already knows you, thanks to that thing on your finger…"

Sapphire looked down at her right hand, where the band of gold glistened on her finger. "Oh, I s'pose I forgot to take it off," she said with some degree of distaste.

Norman looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "You don't like it?" he wanted to know.

Sapphire realized what she said, and so she hastily backtracked. "I love it, I really do! I just don't really want it to get dirty, and well…" She blushed, something Sapphire Birch so rarely did. "That was the whole reason why I got distracted last time."

"Ahhh-hhhhhh." And Norman drew out the understanding note. "I get it." He abruptly clapped his hands together. "Well, I'm going to go home. Thank you for stopping by, Sapphire, but as you can tell, Ruby isn't here."

"Wha-I-I-I-" Sapphire stuttered. "I wasn't here for Ruby, I came here to say hello-"

"Mmhmm." And Norman shook his head as he walked away. Blushing, Sapphire dimly heard him mutter, "Silly kids. Thinking they could fool me…"

From inside its Pokeball, Toro crooned knowingly and nudged Sapphire. The blue-eyed trainer took the Pokeball out and held it at eye level, fixing it with a glare. "Hush," she told Toro. "That _isn't _why I'm here."

_Yeah, sure. _And Toro rolled its eyes.

Just then, something caught Sapphire's attention. She turned her head to find Ruby's Castform floating by the trees, wildly gesticulating the way only Popo could. "Hey there," Sapphire called cheerily as she jogged towards it, "Have you seen-"

Popo darted into the trees, and Sapphire stopped short. "Hey!" she yelled.

The Pokemon poked its head out of the trees, chirped, and darted back into the grove of trees. Sapphire blinked before Toro literally slammed her in the waist. "_What_?" Sapphire demanded impatiently, taking her favorite Pokemon out again. Toro began pointing wildly in the direction Popo had gone, and Sapphire took a few tentative steps forward.

"Oh." And Sapphire felt the full meaning of Popo's behavior crash down on her head. "Popo wants me to follow, innit?"

Toro nodded, and Sapphire was struck by some sudden panic. "Oh, Arceus- maybe Ruby's hurt-" and she began sprinting after her fiancee's Pokemon. It was difficult- night was falling, and the sun cast a dim light across the sky, blue engulfing red, red engulfing orange- shadows danced across the forest floor, but like the native jungle girl she was, Sapphire navigated with the utmost ease.

It wasn't long before she realized that she had arrived at the hideout that they had shared for so many years- at least ten. It was quiet and deserted, Popo was nowhere to be found, and there was no sign of Ruby either. Sapphire took a hesitant step forward, her hand resting on Toro's Pokeball- "Ruby?" she called tentatively. "Ruby, where are you?"

No sound. Sapphire took another step forward towards the mouth of the cave. "Ruby?" she called again. No answer.

Almost apprehensively, she poked her head into the cave, where a startling sight met her eyes. The usual oil lamps that Ruby had brought back were all lit, providing the cave with a bright glow that suffused the cave with warmth; along with that, there were what looked like blankets and throw pillows strewn across the floor and- what was that? Sapphire crossed the floor of the cave and scooped up the bouquet of lilies that lay on the ground, smiling as she inhaled the fresh scent of her favorite flowers.

"You might want to turn around," a deep voice said from behind her, and Sapphire did so, grinning already at the sight of Ruby leaning against the wall. He smiled back and held out his arms, and Sapphire entered gratefully, inhaling his familiar smell of soap and that faint smell of cologne. "I've missed you," Ruby told her cheerfully.

"So have I." Sapphire abruptly pulled away. "What have you _done _to this cave?" she wanted to know. "It's all… girly!"

"And here I thought that since you turned twenty-one, you would have at least picked up _some _girly traits," Ruby said with mock surprise.

Sapphire frowned. "What's the date today?" she wanted to know.

"September 21. Why?" Ruby's eyes widened as he put two and two together. "You forgot your own birthday again, didn't you."

"I was kind of battling for my title," Sapphire defended herself.

Ruby looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You'd think that you would remember your birthday since you retained your Champion title the day you turned twenty-one!"

"Well, clearly I didn't think it was _that _important. Birthdays are unimportant anyway!"

"You didn't know _why _Wattson and Flannery made you wear ceremonial costumes?"

"I thought they were trying to make my life miserable!"

"Well, now that I think about it, they were probably going to try and do that, too…"

Sapphire's eyes suddenly narrowed. "How did you know that Wattson and Flannery made me dress up in their town's ceremonial robes? I didn't tell you, and I made sure there were no videos or photos."

Ruby almost flinched. "Uh…" he covered feebly.

Sapphire's eyes narrowed even further and Ruby took a step back. "Let's not jump to conclusions," he stuttered. "Maybe Emerald told me?"

"Emerald was off in Dewford surfing with Brawly when I was with Wattson and later Flannery." Sapphire crossed her arms, a sure sign that Ruby was busted. "Did you _tell _them to put me in robes as tight as an Arbok's grip?"

"No, dear, of course not."

"You _did_!"

"Did it really hurt that much?"

"DO YOU WANT TO FIND OUT?"

"No, I don't- OW! Sapphire-!"

From outside, Popo and Zuzu watched the chaos unfold. _Ten years, really_? Popo commented.

_Yeah. _Zuzu covered its eyes as Ruby fled the scene, laughing and choking and yelping all at the same time. _I wonder how Ruby's going to handle this when they're actually married. _

Popo was silent for a time. _Do you think Norman will give us some of that popcorn_? it asked.

_Maybe. Why?_

Popo shrugged. _It would be a fun show to watch. _


	20. Telephone

Helllooooo! So basically I was taking a break from studying AP Biology, and this is what happens! It's completely unrelated to biology- _clearly_- but anyway, I hope you enjoy! I might have gotten a little off topic and a little rambly, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless :) Not my best work ever, so if you want to constructive criticism is always welcomed.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except a lot of neurons, several thousand muscle cells, and red blood cells that grow really quickly. And they say I don't do anything productive!

* * *

**9 – Telephone**  
Gold has to listen to Green droning on and on about how busy Crystal is and how he really shouldn't be calling her during 'working hours', yet when he hears an indignant yell and the sound of a breathless Crystal going, "Gold?" into the phone, it's all worth it.

* * *

"Seen Crystal lately?"

Silver looked up, annoyed at the interruption of his chess game with Blaine. "No, Gold," he said flatly. "I never see Crystal anymore. How many times do I have to tell you this?"

"Sor_ry_, just asking," Gold snapped back, flopping onto the grass. "It's just that-"

"-she never comes around anymore, I miss her, yadda yadda yadda yadda, I know the entire speech. Go find her, then. You know _exactly _where she is." Silver moved his pawn and then grimaced when Blaine gleefully confiscated the piece. "Aw, Mew's tail- Gold, look at what you made me do!"

"Oh, Gold, do stay here," Blaine smirked. "It's been such a long time since I last played chess, and it's refreshing to win once in a while."

"Gold," Silver warned as Blaine moved his bishop, "I _will _find a way to blackmail you. Or hurt you. Either way, I'm not picky."

The capped boy just waved his cue stick at the glowering redhead. "Silver, learn to be a gracious loser. It makes you look cooler." He ducked as Silver chucked a chess piece at him. "And learn how to be nicer in general! Arceus, you are just so twitchy these days- OW!" And he yelped as a chess piece hit him squarely in the eye. "No wonder you have no luck with the ladies- OW!" Another chess piece nailed him in the other eye.

If looks could kill, death would have found Gold an appealing companion. "Go find your girlfriend, Gold," Silver said through gritted teeth. "Before she has to come and find you buried in your family's grave."

Gold left nothing to chance; he was gone before Blaine could move another chess piece.

…

"She's busy." And Green closed the door in Gold's face.

"Come on, Green!" Gold yelled at the shut door. "Cut her some slack!"

"It's a big research project, Gold. Lot of work." Green's tone could still sound dreadfully cold through a thick door, Gold noted darkly. "But then again," Green continued, "you wouldn't know much about work, _would _you?"

Gold scowled at the door and mimed the stabbing of his heart. "That was just mean, Green. Maybe that's what I'll call you from now on. Mean Green."

"Rhyming insults fail to move me in any manner whatsoever," Green drawled from behind the closed door. "Go home, Gold. We're busy. I'm leaving now."

"Green!" Gold glowered at the closed door, knowing that if he broke it down Crystal would be mad at him, and then he would have to endure Green's wrath the next time he visited him for training at his Gym. Green's Pokemon weren't likely to go easy on his own Pokemon; they were exactly like their trainer, stoic and unchanging and prone to grudges. "Green?"

No answer.

Gold threw up his hands and stalked off, grumbling under his breath. "One afternoon," he grumbled. "Is that so much to ask? What are they researching, anyway? The effects of Zubat saliva on cuts?"

Well, he decided, if he couldn't get Crystal in person, he would just have to get her by phone. He knew Crystal often had her phone on her, even when she was working, but because it was often on silent mode it was sketchy as to whether she would pick it up. Gold shrugged, even as he turned into the path leading to his house. It was worth a shot, he figured.

His room, just as messy as it was when he left, revealed an extremely bored Ataro swinging from the rods holding up his curtains. It gave him a reproachful look, as though to say _Where have __**you **__been_?, and then swung into his arms, where it began to hit him repeatedly over the head. Gold yelped as his Pokemon smacked him; half-jokingly, he threatened: "Stop before I give you to Green for corrective behavior."

With a terrified screech, Ataro scrambled away from Gold, leaving the trainer standing confusedly in a pile of dirty laundry. "Well," Gold muttered as he reached for his PokeGear, "I'm glad I'm not the only one intimidated by Green…"

He didn't even have to look at the phone when he dialed; Crystal's number was memorized by now. He figured he could do it in his sleep, and he grinned, remembering when he had told Silver of that fact. The grumpy redhead had grimaced (though whether it was in response to his remark, or whether it was because Weavile had just nipped his finger, Gold was unsure): "That's creepy, Gold."

While the phone rang, Gold's attention turned to Silver, and how he had been acting lately. "You know, Ataro, I think Silver needs a girlfriend," he told the cheeky monkey. "Even Prissy Boy has a girlfriend, whether he likes it or not. Silver just needs a girl to lighten him up."

Ataro chittered and shook its head. _Not a good idea_.

"What are you talking about? It's a _brilliant _idea." Gold scoffed at his Pokemon. "You don't give me enough credit for these things. How about Jasmine?"

Ataro smacked its face. _The last time you tried to talk to Jasmine, Volkner almost threw you all the way back to Goldenrod._

"Yeah, so? It doesn't mean she's not willing to give Silver a shot…"

_You're suicidal_.

"You just need to be open-minded."

_Or sane, and you are neither_.

"For a Pokemon, you're awfully cheeky," Gold muttered as the phone went to voicemail. He hung up and hit redial, rolling his eyes as Ataro swung across the room to open the door for Utaro, who lumbered in waving its arms.

The phone kept ringing, and Gold covered the mouthpiece as he leaned over to look at the Pokemon, who was nursing a burnt arm. "What happened to you?" he wanted to know.

_Got a little too close to Explotaro_, the Sudowoodo explained. _We sort of got a little carried away playing tag…_

"Did you burn anything down?"

_No… well, not much._

"Is my mother going to freak out?"

_She's never going to notice_.

"Well, then, I guess we're not in trouble."

"Think again," a voice said on the other line, a voice that was as dry as sandpaper, and Gold jumped in alarm. "Crystal?" he said hesitantly.

"Does this _sound _like Crystal to you?" the voice wanted to know, and Gold sighed in exasperation when he realized the voice was distinctly male and annoyed. "Green, for Mew's sake," he said a little too loudly, "all I want to do is talk to Crystal."

"She's _working_, Gold," Green snapped. "Do you know how irresponsible it is of you-"

"You would have done the same thing for Blue-" Gold began.

"-a huge lab report that might change the face of Pokemon medicine as we know it-" It annoyed Gold that Green just kept on talking over him in the same monotone, as though he was ignoring Gold just because he could, so Gold talked even louder:

"-okay, maybe not Blue, but one day, Green, when you find someone you're actually _happy _with-"

"-and it's during _working hours, _what's so important that it can't wait-"

"-but then again you'll probably never date anyone because you're so isolated from the rest of society-"

"-she's busy, we're all busy, which part of that don't you understand-"

Gold was busy coming up with the best insults he could throw at the older Viridian Gym Leader when he heard a surprised yowl and mass chaos on the other side of the line, as though Green had just dropped the phone on the ground. And then the best sound of his life came filtering into his ear:

"Gold?" Crystal said breathlessly into the receiver. "What's up?"

…

"He did _what_?" And Gold gleefully envisioned Crystal glaring at Green, who would _preferably _be standing by with a visibly chastened look on his face. But knowing Green, he was probably bent over his research, ignoring whatever Gold was saying about him. Oh dear. The next trip down to Green's Gym was going to be so much fun.

"I'm not _that _busy that I can't go out with my friend," Crystal was saying to someone, her voice distant as though she was holding the phone away from her ear. "What do you mean I am..? No, I do my _own _work- look here, Green, your own grandfather told me I could take a break whenever I wanted… Green?"

There was a pause, and then Crystal came back on the line, her tone clearly exasperated. "He just walked out of the lab. That's great. But I'm really sorry about today, Gold. Of course I can go for lunch. Well… actually, dinner, now that it's so late in the afternoon." She paused, and Gold could see her tugging at her earlobe, pink suffusing her cheeks. "So, what time are we meeting each other?"

"Oh, I'll pick you up at seven," Gold said nonchalantly, as though he hadn't been thinking about this the entire day. "Say, Crystal, can I get your opinion or something?"

"Mmhmm?" And he could see her bending over another piece of a lab report, trying to piece together more information as she multitasked. He really did love that about her, how she seemed so efficient, so put together. Of course, there were her legs (and Gold thought briefly about how so very _honest_ that was of him), but more than that, he thought her smile and her eyes and the way she moved her arms when she was talking was so captivating- he wondered how no other boy had fallen in love with her before.

But there were more things to worry about at the moment.

"Do you think Silver would work well with Jasmine?"

Ataro and Utaro sweatdropped, and Crystal just sighed. "Oh, Gold," she said into the phone, her voice tinged with exasperation and a slight hint of amusement- "You're an idiot."

He liked to think that that meant she was willing to tolerate him a little while longer- he allowed himself to hope that that meant he had a chance. Because after all, Crystal was tolerant, and he was pushy; she was a smart girl versus a hopelessly idiotic boy. In this case, he really hoped the theory that opposites attracted proved true.

* * *

Um yeah, the ending's a little choppy, I do think. But reviews as always- greatly appreciated.


	21. Strangers

inspired by the wongfu short , 'strangers, again'. The song lyrics are from the song 'Cambridge' by Kina Grannis! Goodness, I've been updating lately, but this one was written in a daze (and I'm starving) so hopefully you enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the piece of cake I'm about to eat.

* * *

**seventeen : fight;**  
When they're twenty, they have their first real fight over the videophone: he claims that he's busy in the Gym and she claims he doesn't care enough to visit her in Sinnoh- they know it's the same fight they've had before, but this one seems worse (maybe because both are actually invested in a relationship together this time).  
**thirteen : erase;**  
When they're twenty-one, she breaks it off and tells him that they would be better off forgetting everything they've done together- he doesn't look her in the eye as he says flatly: "You know it's not that easy, Blue."  
**twenty-three : haunt;**  
He hears from Sinnoh (Diamond and Pearl, to be exact) that Blue's planning a trip back to Viridian City, so he packs his bag, leaves his backup team in charge of the gym and goes away to Cerulean, where he knows Misty and Brock are staying for the holidays- but even their cheerful attitudes do not banish the memories that haunt him late at night.

* * *

Green can sense the tension building up, rising rapidly to the surface. It's immediately obvious in every sense of the word, from the way Blue's eyes spark, not with admiration but anger, to his involuntary clenching of his fists despite his visibly calm exterior. In a way, he wishes that one of them were as explosive as Ruby, or Sapphire, or even Crystal when she was really riled- maybe then they could get everything out of the way. There wouldn't be any skirting around the issue, dancing around hot coals- there would just be talking over the issue.

It's the same argument tonight- well, not argument, but pointed jabs at each other. Ever since Blue moved to Sinnoh, Green notes that she's become more aggressive- more so than usual. He figures that it's her way of saying that she cares, her way of indirectly telling him that she misses him (because heaven forbid that Blue ever explicitly admit _that_); but he can't understand why she can't come back to Kanto every once in a while instead of him going to Sinnoh. He figures that he's done it enough, he's met all her friends, but what about her friends back here? Maybe, he figures, that's _his _way of telling her that he misses her.

Or, maybe not, he thinks to himself when Blue pulls the 'you're the gentleman, you come here' card. When he doesn't give in, she just sighs- _loudly_, and he braces himself for what comes next- inevitably she will begin to tell him about all the friends she's made in the modeling business. Inevitably those friends will have male names, and even though Platina assures him that Blue's not serious about the flirting (and she knows this _how_?), it still irritates him.

_I need to hear this  
I chose you long ago  
Have you chosen me yet?_

Tonight it just seems worse than usual, maybe because he has had a bad day, and has she even noticed? _No_. She hasn't bothered to ask, either. Green notes drily that the entire conversation has revolved around the topics of: Blue's career, Blue's recent purchases at a mall, Blue's new acquaintance Monty, Blue's roommate stealing her eyelash curler. In contrast, Green thought, he'd had to deal with Professor Oak's sudden illness, Crystal's twisted ankle, their entire herd of Ponyta escaping from their corral, Daisy's frenetic wedding plans with Bill. Clearly, who had the worse end of the deal?

Not that she cared.

So he tells her, mentions it briefly. "You know," he says in that low tone of his, "it would be _nice _if you asked about my day once in a while."

He supposes the tension has been building up for a while, because that's when everything explodes. He doesn't remember who begins yelling first- all he remembers is raising his voice when Blue begins to yell at him about how he doesn't _care_, about how he doesn't seem to want to make _sacrifices_- but he has his own share of complaints too, and so he retorts with how _he's _the one making sacrifices all the time, and Blue is the one who takes without giving and _how _on earth is their relationship supposed to work? She's taken aback, obviously, because Green has never raised his voice except in the midst of a Pokemon battle- and she begins to backtrack, but Green is too angry, too tired, too hurt to say anything more- so he simply shuts the computer off, and goes to bed angry.

He supposes later that that night was the beginning of the end.

_I'm starting to wear thin and find it harder to forgive  
Every time you let us slip down your list of priorities_

She never apologizes, and he doesn't bring it up again, but sometimes late at night a whisper comes back to him, whispering about how she wasn't coming back to Kanto anytime soon. He pushes it away, because that's just how Green (and Blue, the whisper reminded him) is- stubborn, headstrong, determined. So the relationship continues on, a relationship based on tolerance.

He's not really surprised, then, when a year later she finally says it. "Maybe it's time to move on," she says, rubbing her eyes. "For the best, you know?"

He's not really surprised, but it still comes as a shock because this is _Blue_, the girl who spent the better half of her life trying to trap him into a relationship. "I don't know," he says quietly, surprising even himself. "Is that what you want?"

Blue's never been so small, so quiet, so vulnerable before. "Yes," she says, but after a pause, as though she is struggling with her decision. "It's not like we see each other anymore. It's… we're… strangers, I suppose."

Green wants to retort acidly, _And whose fault is __**that**_? He resists, though. "Fine." The word hangs in midair, filling the silence, reminding both of them that it's over, the game's finished- but who has won?

She tries to regroup, get some sort of closure from her latest scheme. "It'll be easier if we forget everything we've been through, you know?"

And now Green can't believe that she's using _that _in this situation. His eyes rest on the picture that sits next to his computer screen, a picture Gold took one day while the Dex Holders were on the beach in Johto. He can't honestly recall a time before Blue's move to Sinnoh where things had been that happy, and Green doesn't forget things easily.

So he doesn't look at her as he utters his final words to her- "You know it's not that easy."

And just like a year ago, he shuts the computer down.

_Now please don't take this wrong  
You know I want you  
But don't think I won't move on_

He throws himself into training, into research, into anything he can get his hands on, and it worries his friends and family. The flow of trainers into his Gym slows to a trickle before drying out completely- Lorelai has to make a trip down at one point in order to tell him to slow down, take it easy because the Elite Four hasn't been getting any challengers due to their inability to achieve all the badges. Green doesn't back down, but he does agree to take a week off when Lorelai threatens to revoke his Gym Leader privileges.

Red comes down from Mount Silver for a visit one day- Green suspects that Crystal and Gold were visiting and they _probably _informed Red about Green's rigorous training. The tall, silent boy stands in the doorway of Green's Gym, silhouetted against the bright Kanto sunlight, quiet as usual with his hands shoved into his jean pockets.

He doesn't say much for the duration of his visit, and Green is thankful for someone who doesn't grate on his ears like everyone else. He battles Red for a bit- loses of course- but spends most of the time silently sitting with his best friend in the kitchen, reading papers. Red doesn't attempt to comfort Green verbally; his presence alone is enough to cheer Green up.

It's an odd relationship, Green notes, but then remembers that he's said the same thing about himself and Blue.

Red stays for almost a week, and on the last day, he finally speaks in a low, raspy tone. "Are you happy?"

"What do you mean?" Green is defensive.

Red silently gestures at the kitchen. "This. Everything."

Green narrows his eyes at him. "Yes."

Red simply raises an eyebrow, and Green now feels obligated to defend his choice. "She ended it. If she's happy, then that's fine."

Red's eyebrow rises even higher. "I wasn't talking about Blue. I was asking about you."

The Viridian Gym Leader doesn't say a single word, but stalks out of the room.

_I can get by on my own  
I'll stand without you  
Look how I have grown _

Red leaves with a pat on the back, and Green's Gym is empty once again. Green briefly considers going to the Hoenn region, because he remembers that Sapphire once asked if he could train her Pokemon; but then he recalls that Ruby and Sapphire are often a package, and he doesn't really feel like being reminded of a relationship. So he stays in his Gym, and sometimes Yellow drops by with a batch of cookies she "just happened to make", or Crystal and Gold will come in because Gold "wants to challenge" Green. Silver will even venture in for a bit, but he understands that he reminds Green of Blue, so he doesn't stay long.

One day, Green receives word from his junior Dex Holders that Blue is coming back to Kanto "for a visit", they claim. Green sits at his desk for a while after hearing that, pondering his choice- stay, and be reminded of the perfect stranger Blue had become, or leave, and wait until the storm had passed? He wishes that he is stronger than this, but clearly he is not where Blue is concerned. So Green decides to leave, and decides that nobody will think to find him in Cerulean.

Misty and Brock welcome him in, of course- they are too nice to say otherwise, and Cerulean is still as beautiful as ever. Green wanders the streets late at night, enjoying the city by the sea and enjoying the company offered to him by his fellow Gym Leaders; but somehow he has managed to forget that Cerulean is exactly where he fell in love. He snorts when he uses that clichéd expression, but it's _true_, and he hates himself for it.

The thought crosses his mind that now that they are strangers, they could start over, but Green swiftly dismisses it because he still remembers the hurt. Green does not forget easily. He wishes he _could,_ he wishes that Blue doesn't have such a grip on his heart, and he wishes that he could move on from where she left him. He wonders often if she's forgotten, if she's done as good a job in moving on as he has, or is she stuck, too? He often wonders, late at night, about a brown haired girl with the prettiest eyes and the brightest smile.

(She sneaks into his house, because she's _Blue_, and is touched that the picture of them by the beach stands by his bed- the only picture in the entire house.)  
_  
But, darling, if you know that it's through,  
Can't keep doing what you do,  
Is it time to let go of you? _

* * *

Reviews as always, greatly appreciated :) Thank you for reading through! _  
_


	22. Chocolate

Hey guys! Thanks for all the subscriptions, reviews, and encouraging messages that you constantly leave for me :) you don't know how encouraging those are. Sorry that this update is so late, but life's been sorta hectic lately. So, hopefully you enjoy this chapter :) Mangaquest often doesn't get enough love from me!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my life... even then that's not true.

* * *

7 – Chocolate

"Happy Valentine's Day?" a sheepish Gold offers, holding the box of chocolates up to Crystal's eyes- the girl glares at him and stalks off, fuming at the fact that he thinks he's forgotten Valentine's Day and not her _birthday._

* * *

"Gold?"

The black haired boy groaned and pulled the pillow over his head. "Go away, Mom. It's only seven thirty in the morning."

"Actually," his mother corrected, yanking off the pillow and his blankets, "it's _eleven thirty _in the morning, and I believe you should have been up two and a half hours ago?"

"But it's-"

"I don't care if it's summer or if it's the middle of winter," his mother scolded. "Get _up_!"

Swinging his legs off the mattress and struggling to push himself up from the soft comfort of his bed, Gold scowled as he tried to sit up. "Come on Mom. Cut me some slack. I did tons of work last night."

"Gold, dear, watching Explotaro running around and dangling bacon in front of its face does not count as work."

"But I ran, too!" Gold pulled his legs up as his feet hit the cold morning floor. "And _why _is the floor so cold at eleven thirty in the morning?"

"It feels just fine." His mother began rearranging the items near Gold's bedside. "You sure have a lot of pictures of Crystal, Gold."

"Mom. She's my girlfriend. What do you expect?" Something kept reminding Gold that he was forgetting something, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. He chalked it up to early morning hallucinations- who got up before noon, anyway?

"Speaking of Crystal, are you meeting her today?" His mom absently tugged at the curtains by Gold's window. Gold hurried over to where she was and began steering her towards the door; he certainly didn't want her finding the remnants of the broken jar that Ataro had accidentally shattered yesterday. "Er, yes, of course Mom," he fibbed as he nudged his door open with his foot. "I think I smell something burning, you should check that out."

"Oh, that might be the omelets burning! I should go check on those." Gold's mother rushed off, and Gold heaved a sigh of relief.

His stomach rumbled, though, clearly unpleased with the barren situation it found itself in. Gold thoughtfully reached for his cue stick near his bedroom door. "Hmm," he mused, "Maybe having omelets for lunch doesn't sound like such a bad idea…"

…

"What are _you _doing here?" Silver's tone was about as enthusiastic as a piece of wood, and not for the first time, Gold wondered why the redhead wasn't best friends with Green. Both of them should enjoy each other's silence, he figured, but then again one could only take silence before they completely went insane.

Gold was just beginning to wonder if Green _was _secretly insane, when Silver threw his chess piece at Gold. "Wake up," he said in response to Gold's angry glare. "Seriously though. What are you doing here?"

"Okay, I get it. You want me to leave so you can get back to your date with Soul." Gold tipped his hat to the girl sitting opposite Silver. "Honestly, Soul, what do you see in him?"

"Get out," Silver snapped, "and go find Crystal. Shouldn't you be with her today, anyway?"

Gold tilted his head. "Why should I? I saw her yesterday anyway."

Silver gaped at him- well, as much as someone with a permanent scowl could gape. "What do you mean, why should you? It's her special day today!"

"I never thought that the words _special day_ would come out of your mouth," Gold commented wryly, and almost got nailed in the head again by another chess piece. "SOUL! Can't you control him for a bit?"

"No, I'm enjoying this a bit too much," Soul commented, her upturned pigtails waving in the breeze conjured by the air conditioning system. "And also, once we get back to this game I win by default since he just threw his queen at you."

"Get out, Gold," Silver said flatly. "Go find Crystal." And somehow he reached over and slammed the door of the Pokemon Center's room in Gold's face.

"That's real nice of you!" Gold shouted futilely at the closed doors. "Oh, hello Nurse Joy," he added lamely as the redheaded nurse walked by, frowning at him. "Sorry about the noise. Silver's being a-"

"Gold, please don't use that sort of language," Nurse Joy admonished. "There are children around here!"

"They're responsible enough to have Growlithes as pets… I think they can handle a bit of rough language," Gold pointed out, even as Nurse Joy began steering him out of the Center. "I mean, they're what, twelve? They can- Okay, I guess I just got kicked out," he said to no one in particular as Nurse Joy pushed him out into the bright, glaring Johto sunshine. He scowled and pushed his hands into his pockets. "It's fine," he muttered viciously, glaring at the glass double doors. "I liked your sisters better, anyway."

"Gold?" And the black haired boy looked up to see Crystal running up towards him. "Did I just see you get kicked out of the Pokemon Center?"

"I didn't get kicked out," Gold countered as coolly as possible. "I got… er… escorted out."

"Uh huh, sure you did," Crystal grinned. "What did you do this time? Fry the electric generator again?"

"All I did was yell at Silver, apparently," Gold shrugged. "And use some pretty choice language." He raised his hands in an _I have no idea why _gesture. "All I said was-"

"Gold!" Crystal ejaculated when she heard the word. "That's _awful_! You shouldn't have said the word in there anyway, there are kids around!" She gently pinched Gold's nose. "_And _you shouldn't have said it today of all days…"

"Why?" Gold asked. "What's today? Why does everyone keep saying today is special?"

Crystal blinked at him. "You're kidding, right?" she asked in disbelief.

"No… not really…" Gold said, confusion written all over his expression.

Crystal stared at him, then turned on her heel and began to stalk away. "Forget about it," she tossed back to Gold.

_Uh oh. _Gold scampered after his visibly fuming girlfriend. "Forget what?" he wanted to know. "Crys, why are you mad at me?"

"I said, _forget about it_."

_Double uh oh. _Gold knew that tone. It was the "I'm really mad at you so I'm emphasizing practically every word to let you know that I'm really, absolutely, positively mad at you and you're not getting out of this easy" tone. He'd only heard Crystal use it twice. The first time, Silver had had to buy Crystal breakfast, lunch and dinner for an entire month; the second time, Emerald had had to appease Crystal by reorganizing _all _the filing cabinets in her room. Gold frankly doubted that Emerald had ever been so organized in his entire life. "Crystal," he appealed to the blue haired Dex Holder, "_what's _wrong?"

"NOTHING," Crystal said loudly.

_Triple uh oh. _Once Crystal combined the word 'nothing' with that freakishly scary tone, Gold knew the jig was up. "Okay," he said nervously, still following Crystal. "If you say so."

"I _do _say so." Crystal rounded the corner, and Gold could swear that he got a windchill from Crystal's cold shoulder. "Go away, Gold. I'm busy."

"Okay-"

"_Now_!"

Gold scuttled away before Crystal could say anymore. "Girls," he muttered. "I don't understand them anymore."

…

"Well, you're screwed," Silver said dryly, taking a sip from the steaming hot mug of chamomile tea. "And trust me when I say you are. I've been on the receiving end of her temper."

"But I didn't do anything," Gold complained.

"That's precisely my point."

"You didn't _make _a point," Gold said acidly.

Silver lifted a shoulder. "Whatever, Gold. You really don't know what today is?"

"No. I don't. What is it? Labor Day? Fourth of July?"

"It's the end of April, Gold," Soul pointed out.

"Easter, then. OH!" Gold sat up straighter in his chair. "I know! I forgot to get her those chocolate bunnies she liked!"

"Easter was a couple weeks ago," Silver said flatly.

"Oh." Gold slumped in his chair. "Then no. I don't know what today is."

Soul opened her mouth to say something, but Silver slapped his hand over it. "Don't," he warned, ignoring her startled "_mmmff"_. "He needs to learn his lesson."

"What lesson? Why doesn't anyone tell me anything around here?" Gold tugged at his short hair in mock frustration.

"I'll give you a hint," Silver said. "Today is a special day. One that girls would prefer you remember, no matter how busy or how out of money you are."

"Our anniversary?" Gold asked hopefully.

Silver face-palmed.

"Okay, so _not _our anniversary." Gold frowned. "Soul…" he appealed to Silver's (hopefully) better half, but she shook her head.

Silver and Soul waited in expectation as Gold racked his brains, deep in thought as he tried to figure out the meaning of his intricate puzzle. "OH!" he burst out. "I KNOW WHAT IT IS!"

"And it's…" Silver prompted.

"Valentine's Day, of course! I'll go get those chocolates now!" And Gold rushed out of the coffee shop, leaving his tea untouched and a stunned Silver and Soul behind.

"Shouldn't we stop him?" Soul asked at last.

Silver sighed and took another sip. "There's really no point. He was going to kill himself anyway no matter what."

…

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Crystal swiveled in her chair. "Who is it?" she yelled.

"Me?" Gold's voice filtered through the door.

Crystal rubbed her eyes. "What do you want, Gold? I'm working."

"Today of all days, you're _working_?"

Crystal rolled her eyes as she made her way to the door. "Yes, Gold, I'm _working_. Considering how I have no plans today since my boyfriend forgot what day it was…"

She swung the door open to find Gold standing there, arms laden with boxes of chocolate. His golden eyes peered over the top of the box, accompanied by a sheepish expression on his face. "Sorry for forgetting."

"Forgetting what?" Crystal asked.

"Um, Valentine's Day?" Gold offered.

"Try again, Gold." And Crystal let the door slam shut in Gold's face. "Honestly," she muttered as she stalked back to her desk. "You'd think he care enough to remember my _birthday._"

* * *

Poor Gold! Haha. I couldn't resist. This sounds like something he _would _do. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!


	23. Death

Hi guys! Sorry for the late updates. You'd think that I would have more time now that summer is here, but sadly no. One, I've been bus with applications all summer long, and two, my muse has conveniently gone missing again, as always. I need to fire her but she has so much sentimental value, really.

Well anyway here's the new chapter! It's not all that great, and the characters may be a little out of character, but I mean it's a tragedy, how do you think they're supposed to react? At any rate, here it is!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did... I'd keep it for myself! That made no sense.

* * *

13 – Death  
It is Crystal who squeezes his shoulder when he realizes that his mother is dead, and there's no bringing her back; it is Crystal who doesn't hesitate to pull Gold in for a hug and cry along with him.

* * *

It was a Monday, the twenty-sixth of August, when the call came. Nobody was home: Gold was out with Crystal and Gold's mother was out shopping in Goldenrod City for her son's twentieth birthday. "Be good," she had warned Pichu and Exbo as she closed the door behind her, "I don't want to see glass shards on the floor _again_."

Two hours later, the phone rang shrilly, insistent and demanding for attention as it wailed louder and louder. Exbo looked up from its nap, flames crackling as its temper rose steadily. _Are you sure we can't break it? _it asked Pichu.

Pichu hopped up on to the table and stared curiously at the ringing telephone. _What is it_?

_It's what they call a telephone. I call it annoying. _Exbo got up and paced over to where the phone was. _Here- _It picked up the receiver with its teeth. _Who is it_?

A voice came over the line. "Hello? Hello? Is this the residence of the Pokedex Holder Gold? Your mother's in danger! You need to come help! Hello?"

Pichu turned to look at Exbo. _Gold's mother is in danger? We have to-_

_ I know, I know. _Exbo dropped the phone in its haste. _SUDOBO, _it roared.

The Sudowoodo fell from its perch on the ceiling lamp, startled from sleep and alarmed by Exbo's demanding tone. _What? Why do you always have to yell? I was-_

_ Go to Goldenrod, _Exbo ordered as Pichu hopped over to the door and began swinging on the handle to open it. _Now._

_Why do I need to go to Goldenrod? _Sudobo wanted to know.

_Gold's mother is in danger. _The door swung open, and Pichu hopped down. It hopped over to where Exbo was and swung onto its head, perching slightly above the flames. Exbo pawed the ground. _Tell the others to guard the house in case anyone comes. Take Sunbo with you. And hurry, Sudobo!_

…

"What a wonderful day," Crystal said happily as she strolled through the streets of Violet City. "It's sunny, it's bright, it's not too hot-"

"Speak for yourself," Gold muttered, wiping off yet another bead of sweat off his forehead.

"Well, if you didn't insist on wearing your cap _and _a turtleneck…"

"It's not my fault that the weather forecast told me it would be cold today in Violet City," Gold protested.

"Oh please. We all know that you decided to wear a turtleneck because you thought it would be cold in Falkner's Gym."

Gold contemplated arguing with Crystal, but wisely decided against it. "Maybe that had a little part in it."

"_Maybe_?" Crystal's amused smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she threaded her fingers through Gold's hands. The both of them stood at five feet seven, tall and lanky from years of strenuous training out on the field, and as such towered over most of the Dex Holders. Only Red and Green had the privilege of looming over the two at just over six feet; but then again Gold didn't mind, as long as he could make a dig at Silver every chance that he got.

"Where _is _Silver?" he asked suddenly, remembering that the redhead was supposed to meet them in Violet City for lunch. "He's somewhat late isn't he?"

"Just half an hour, Gold," Crystal sighed resignedly. "What is the point of me getting the both of you watches if you two never show up on time?"

"I resent that remark-"

"Gold," Crystal said in exasperation, "last time we had a date, you were late by forty-five minutes."

"I highly resent that remark," Gold began to repeat, but was stopped by Crystal craning her neck around him and squinting into the far off distance. "What is it now, Super Serious Gal?"

"I don't know." Crystal shaded her eyes. "From here it looks like a Typhlosion- but there are hardly any wild ones around here."

Gold squinted, too. "Is that a _Pichu_?"

"Are those yours?" Crystal asked.

"Maybe…" Gold frowned, feeling dread settle in his stomach. "I didn't take them out today. I figured that Silver's Feraligatr and Polibo would be enough to take out Falkner… and Mom borrowed Aibo when she left for Goldenrod this morning."

"You don't think something's wrong…" And Crystal let her sentence trail off.

"No. No, of course not," Gold laughed, even though he felt his skin prickle. "They probably got restless, that's all."

Crystal's phone rang just then, and she turned away. "Excuse me for a second."

Gold nodded absently, watching as the Typhlosion and Pichu neared them. _That _is _Exbo and Pichu_, he realized as the definitive shapes of the Pokemon became clearer. He recognized the Pink Bow he had given to Pichu as it scampered along next to the hulking Typhlosion; but what was unfamiliar to Gold was the rare, urgent expression written on both Exbo's and Pichu's face. "Hello," he greeted as his Pokemon skidded to a stop in front of him. "What are you- whoaaaa!"

Exbo grabbed his trainer's pants and began tugging. Gold stumbled along before digging his heels into the ground- "I love you too, Exbo, but I'm sort of busy here…"

His Fire Pokemon stared him in the eye, urgency and frustration written all over its face. _Come on_, it seemed to be urging, and for once Gold was at a loss at what to do. "Where do you want me to go?" he asked.

Pichu began pushing Gold in a westward direction. "Pi pi pi!" _Let's go, you have no time to waste!_

"But what am I-" Gold began.

"Gold," Crystal's voice said from behind him. His Pokemon immediately stopped what they were doing, and turned to face her instead. Gold sighed and turned around himself, smoothing out his pants as he did so. "I don't know what they're- Crys?" he asked in alarm when he saw the tear stains on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Gold," his girlfriend repeated, her voice cracking. "Gold, that was Silver."

"Was he calling to tell us he was going to be late? Because that shouldn't really make…you…cry…" Gold trailed off when he saw Crystal's shoulders begin to shake with new sobs. "Crys, what's wrong?"

"Gold, it's your mother. She's hurt. We need to get to Goldenrod right away."

The golden-eyed boy could only stand helplessly and stare at Crystal, unable to process what she had just said "My… my mother?" he stammered.

He didn't know how, but somehow he managed to release his Mantine, and Crystal somehow managed to drag him onto the flying Pokemon with the aid of Exbo and Pichu. _My mother is hurt. Silver is with her. _

_ My mother is hurt…?_

…

Gold was met on the ground by an anxiously pacing Silver. "Well, it's about time you showed," Silver snarled, his tone brusquer than usual. "We called your house over an _hour _ago."

"I wasn't home," Gold said distractedly. "What happened? Is Mom okay? Are you okay? Where is she?"

Crystal laid a hand on his arm, and was alarmed to find that he was shaking with some sort of suppressed nerves. "You two," she said softly, "need to breathe."

She chalked it up to Silver's frayed nerves- Mew's tail, was that _blood _on his shirt?- when he completely bypassed her instructions. "I don't know, it was so _stupid_, I should have done something-"

"What _happened_?" Gold asked with more insistence.

"I don't know!" Silver pulled at his hair in frustration. "All I know is that one second I was in the Goldenrod Shopping Center finishing up a conversation with Whitney, and then the next second there's screaming from outside… a herd of Rhyhorn must have escaped from somewhere, and then the next thing I know-" He stopped, and Crystal was alarmed to see tears sparkling at the corners of Silver's eyes.

Silver never cried. The last time he almost had was when he thought Gold was dead.

Gold made to take a step forward, but Crystal gripped him tighter. "What happened?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Your mother… she couldn't… she must have released Aibo but that monkey couldn't do anything against the Rhyhorn." Silver rubbed his eyes, swiping them with the back of his hand. "I tried stanching the blood, but there was just so much-"

"Is she okay?" Gold interrupted.

Silver tried to look into his best friend's eyes, but couldn't. "I don't know," he said to the ground. "She's in the Pokemon Center."

Gold's eyes blinked rapidly. "Did the paramedics say anything?"

Crystal, in her calmer state of mind, saw what Gold's hopeful gaze could not: the intense shudder of pain that ran through Silver's body even as he opened his mouth to lie. "Yes, they said she would be fine. Pokemon Center. Go."

Gold made to sprint off, but stopped himself. He laid a hand on Silver's shoulder. "Are _you _okay?" he asked, voice trembling as he gave his best friend a quick once-over.

"Perfect. Go." Silver tore his arm away from Gold's, still unable to meet those golden pain-filled eyes. Gold didn't need to be told _three _times- he sprinted down the street, kicking up dust as he ran towards the Pokemon Center.

Crystal moved slowly towards the redhead. "Silver," she began.

"Don't say anything," Silver snapped. "It should have been me in that Pokemon Center, and you know it."

"It's not your fault."

"Tell that to Gold when he realizes that his mother is about die."

…

The Center was in mass chaos when Gold burst in through the doors. "My mom," he babbled hysterically as he ran towards Nurse Joy. "I am-"

"Gold of New Bark Town," Nurse Joy supplied. "I know. Gold, sit-"

"_No_!" The word was ripped from Gold's throat with the ferocity of a thunderclap. "I need to see her now! You don't understand…"

"Gold, _sit_," Nurse Joy insisted. "Please."

Behind her, he could see several doctors and nurses rush in and out of the emergency room. Gold's legs gave out, and he collapsed into the plastic chair in front of the desk. "I need to see her," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I need to-"

"-breathe," Nurse Joy said firmly. "You need to _breathe_."

Exbo nuzzled up against Gold, crooning something that Gold was completely tuned off to. Pichu hopped up on Gold's left side, attempting to hug its trainer but fell woefully short; instead it wrapped its tiny arms around Gold's left arm and buried its head deep into the fabric.

Gold slumped in the chair, feeling misery and exhaustion travel through his veins. "Can I say goodbye?" he asked, looking up.

"She's not gone yet," Nurse Joy said softly.

Gold just stared at her, and Nurse Joy turned her head away at the lie she was forced to tell. "Please sit," she said numbly, and hurried away to hide the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. _I only deal with unconscious Pokemon_, she couldn't help thinking,_ I've never had to look Death in the eyes before_.

The glass doors slid open and a wounded Whitney stumbled in, dabbing Potion on her cuts and hissing as the medicine seeped through her skin. "Gold," she said in alarm when she noticed the slumped former Johto Champion, "Gold, what are you doing here?"

She realized what a stupid question that was a second later, and so she hastily backtracked. "I mean, I mean-" She changed topics before Gold's pain-filled expression could get any more misery-inducing. "Are you okay?"

Gold realized with bitterness that they were all avoiding the real questions: _Have you said goodbye? How's your mother? What's it like knowing she won't live_? There was no comfort, no sympathy they could verbally express, because to express sympathy was to admit that his mother was beyond repair, and to admit that would completely destroy him. Or maybe they just didn't think they could be close enough without being overwhelmed by this choking feeling of helplessness. So he only turned his head away at the sight of Whitney's blood-soaked shirt sleeve. "Where's the Rhyhorn?" he mumbled, ignoring her question.

"Unconscious. We think that it may have been spooked by an illegal explosion… but it's gone now, it won't…" Whitney stopped, seeing Gold's body turn completely away from her. "I…"

Silver and Crystal appeared behind Whitney just then, the latter completely in tears as she held on to Silver's arm. "Whitney," Silver said gruffly, "maybe you should come back later. He's just…"

_Hurt. Frustrated. Angry. Miserable. Numb_. All these were words that popped into Crystal's head, but she could say none of them. Instead, she watched as Whitney nodded, her lip trembling as she limped towards the nurse's station. Crystal realized that this was the first time she had ever seen Silver defend his friend verbally; so often it was insults and jibes at each other that it was easy for her to forget that they were best friends.

It pained her to understand that the first time Silver ever jumped to Gold's defense so quickly was under such tragic circumstances.

Up ahead, the door slowly swung open, and three sets of eyes darted to the opening door. Crystal took a step forward as Gold jumped off his seat eagerly, watching his Sudowoodo as it waddled down the road, blood all over its stubby hands. "Sudobo," Gold said too quickly, "are you hurt? What's going on?"

Sudobo only sat down heavily in the plastic chair next to Typhlosion, and closed its eyes. "_Sudowoo_…" it sighed heavily before looking up at its stricken trainer.

In that moment, all Crystal could think was, _What sort of doctor sends a Pokemon out to tell a trainer that his mother is dead_?

…

Silver held Crystal back as she made an attempt to follow Gold into the emergency room. "Don't," the redhead said quietly. "Give him a few minutes. It's a hard time… he needs to understand."

Crystal tried to understand why Silver looked so heartbroken about Gold's mother's death.

When she probed him about it, Silver laughed bitterly. "Because it was my idea. I was sentimental this one year because Gold's almost twenty…so I mentioned that I'd like to get him a present this year. A good one. Not a rock like I got him last year." He pulled his bangs again. "So his mother offered to come with me to Goldenrod. If I hadn't decided on today, if I hadn't stayed back with Whitney, if I hadn't-"

"It's not your fault," Crystal repeated.

"But it is." Silver fixed her with the flat stare he was so good at giving.

They were both silent for a minute before Silver spoke again. "She was a good woman."

Crystal could only nod, imagining that if it was difficult for both of Gold's best friends, if it was difficult for the ever-stoic Silver, how much harder it had to be for the lonely boy in the room.

…

_Did the paramedics say anything?_

_ Yes, they said she would be fine._

_ She's not gone yet._

All the unspoken _I'm sorry_s.

His imaginary retort: _What are you sorry for_?

Their unspoken reply: _Sorry that you weren't there to save her._

He sat, dazed, by the bedside where his mother lay. Her face was deathly pale, her skin chalk white like the chalk she used to teach the second graders math with every Tuesday afternoon. Even her lips were white- Gold had always thought that the movies exaggerated that point.

"I'm sorry," he said to the room, his voice bouncing off the empty walls. At his feet, Sunbo hugged his leg a little tighter- its show of affection and comfort. Gold reached out to grasp his mother's fingers in his, and shuddered at how cold it was, and limp. "I'm sorry, Mom."

_What are you sorry for_?

"Sorry that I wasn't here to save you." He answered the unspoken question, pressed his mother's fingers against his lips. Her golden wedding band was cool, reminding Gold that just like his father, she was gone in the wind. "Sorry that I couldn't be a better son."

He felt two hands place themselves on his shoulders, and he inhaled deeply as the tears clouded his eyes. _Crystal_, he thought as he felt water drip onto the back of his neck- she was crying. "Sorry that I…" He couldn't continue for a moment, feeling the weight of twenty years press down on him. "Sorry that you will never get to see me grow."

Crystal whispered his name softly, and he took her hands in his even as he placed his mother's hands on her chest. "Sorry that you will never get to see me at my wedding. Sorry that I never said thank you. Sorry that I spent the years traveling without visiting home…"

He could remember the very first time he stepped out to explore the Johto region. He could remember her expression, longing and nostalgic as she watched her son do the very same thing her husband had done so many years ago. He remembered her delighted smile when he returned home after defeating the Masked Man- delighted, but tinged with regret because she _never got to watch her son grow up_. Gold began to cry then, because he hadn't understood till now how much his mother had sacrificed for him.

He heard Silver outside, talking in a low voice to someone. It sounded like Blue judging from the smooth voice and slight Kanto accent; Green must have been with her, because Gold heard Silver ask, "Shouldn't you be at your Gym?"

Gold tried not to feel hurt that his best friend wasn't in the room with him grieving, but he failed. Silver had somehow become one of the many people who abandoned him in his time of need, _and it hurt_.

Crystal moved just then to stand next to him instead. "Perhaps we should go," she whispered, gently picking up Sunbo with one hand. "Let her rest in peace, Gold."

_Rest in peace_… Gold took a deep, shuddering breath. "She's dead," he said aloud, feeling the words echo tonelessly through the room.

Crystal placed Sunbo down on the floor again, and the Pokemon chose to leave the room. "Yes, Gold," she said softly, approaching him with an outstretched hand. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Gold asked numbly, feeling the question come back to haunt him again. He felt as though it was an overused cliché, a trite question at this point. "Why are _you _sorry?"

Crystal did not miss a beat. "I'm sorry that you had to hurt this way." She stopped in front of him and took his face in her hands. "Come with me….please." Her eyes were glimmering in the hospital lights, and Gold wondered briefly if she was crying, too. "Okay," he whispered, his voice rough and cracked.

But he didn't move, and Crystal waited patiently for him. "She's really dead," Gold said after a while, staring numbly at his mother. He felt the first tear streak down his cheek as the reality began to catch up to him. "She's really…"

He didn't know when he collapsed, whether it was after the second, third, or fiftieth tear. All he remembered was collapsing onto the floor, sobbing as Crystal pulled him into a tight hug and rested her head against his shoulder. "It's okay," she murmured, her voice thick with tears as well, "it's okay."

Gold felt that with those two words, his heart shattered into tiny, tiny pieces, but at least he knew that Crystal's heart was breaking, too. "Am I alone now?" he whispered.

"No," Crystal answered quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder. "No, you're never alone. I've got you."

Crystal, the only one who entered into his own personal world of misery.

Crystal, the only one who read between the lines.

Gold took a deep breath and felt the fog of his misery recede by the slightest inch. "Okay," he whispered, his voice croaking. "I… let's go."

So in the end it was Crystal who held him as he walked out of the hospital room, feeling like he was older than twenty. It was Crystal who never let go amidst all the hugs from an emotional Blue and a wary consolation from Green, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. And it was Crystal who finally asked him, "Are you okay?"- _and meant it_- a month later when he was looking at the urn that contained his mother's ashes.

Yes, Gold reflected later, everyone had kept their distance when he was raw and hurting, but at least he would always have Crystal. And as long as that was true, he would be okay.

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You can tell where I began losing my muse right? Right? Sigh. Oh well.. reviews, constructive criticism always appreciated :) Thanks for reading!


	24. Sky

What is up with me and these sudden spurts of creativity? It must be the weather. Or maybe procrastination on those college apps. (twiddles thumbs)

Have some MangaQuestShipping :)

Disclaimer: I don't o-o-own Po-o-kemon! (wails)

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43 – Sky  
"It's so big," Crystal says one day, observing the way blue skies rolled across the Johto region; Gold opens his mouth, saying "That's what she-" before Crystal decides to shut him up with a kiss.

* * *

Crystal had long since decided that her boyfriend was just like a typical perverted boy. How did she find out? Honestly, who _wouldn't _know, she grumbled often to Yellow and Blue (the latter wondered privately when Crystal had finally noticed this little quirk of Gold's).

Truthfully, she was getting a little irked by all the 'that's what she said' jokes. Privately, she blamed Silver and Emerald for this, because neither Green nor Red would stoop to such levels (she _hoped_- since one was too busy with his Gym and the other too busy freezing), and Ruby, Diamond and Pearl were such perfect gentlemen (well, the first two anyway, and only because Pearl was so loud he hardly noticed anything other than a comedic opportunity). Okay, she amended as she propped her chin on her hand- so maybe Silver wasn't to blame- Emerald, if anything, was the most likely culprit.

And so, that night, Crystal decided to give Gold a little talk the next day when they went out on their date.

To be fair, Crystal reminded herself the next day, he was still playing the perfect boyfriend. He showed up at her doorstep only five minutes late, brought her a bouquet of daisies (that looked like they had been plucked from Yellow's house _but _she chose not to ask), and even had a basket of food in his other hand. She raised an eyebrow at that last observation, and Gold caught her skeptical look. "Ruby dropped some food off yesterday when he dropped by to visit," he explained sheepishly. "You know how I am with food."

Crystal grinned. "At least I won't be dying of poisoning anytime soon," she teased lightly as she shed her usual lab coat and tossed it onto the nearby chair. Gold snorted in response before grabbing her hand and tearing headlong down the street.

It took them ten minutes of getting lost, but Gold eventually found the park where they were supposed to have their picnic date. "Hey, it's not my fault this place has miserable signs," he defended himself in response to Crystal's narrow-eyed stare. He grinned sheepishly again, proffering the basket in apology. "Food?"

Crystal shook her head in exasperation even as Gold began to set out the picnic blanket. "You're hopeless," she said fondly, even though her tone was sarcastic.

"Hopeless, but adorable, right?" Gold beamed.

Crystal shook her head again, rolling her eyes as she did so. _Hey maybe,_ she thought hopefully to herself, _he won't be making any perverted jokes today. _

She crossed her fingers even as she settled down cross-legged onto the red and white checkered blanket.

…

"That was really good," Crystal said later, leaning back onto the grass after she had taken a bite of Ruby's strawberry pie. "I honestly don't think I've had a pie that delicious in my life. Ever."

"Mmmf," Gold muttered from his position on the grass. He was lying on his front, his face buried in his arms. "Mmmff."

"I can't hear you, Gold," Crystal remarked, uncrossing her legs and stretching them in the air. "Oww, this position was really uncomfortable."

"That's what she said," Gold grinned, coming off the ground before dropping his head back into his arms.

Crystal threw her apple core at him. "That wasn't even a good one," she said drily.

Gold threw the apple core right back at her. "That's okay," he said wickedly as he lifted his head back up, his bright eyes glittering in the sunlight. "Did you have a good time today?"

Crystal lit up, instantly forgetting her irritation with his jokes. "Yeah. I haven't had this much fun in ages. We should do this again."

"Just the two of us?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, suspecting that he had some sort of devious plan under his innocent façade. "Yes…" she answered suspiciously.

"Having a really good time?" Gold blinked twice, and Crystal _knew _thenthat he was up to something.

"Sure…" she said, trying to figure out what on earth he was talking about.

"THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!" Gold bellowed before breaking down into fits of laughter. Alarmed, Crystal watched a flock of Murkrow break out of the trees nearby them and take flight, surprised by the sudden loud noise.

"Honestly, Gold?" Crystal huffed and folded her arms. "_Must _you be so immature?"

"It's part of my charm, you know it is," Gold answered playfully, flipping onto his back and inching closer to his semi-irritated girlfriend. "Besides. You know you fell right into that one." He leaned forward-

"Don't even try kissing me with _that _mouth of yours."

Gold shrugged. "Oh well. I tried." He promptly received a wadded-up napkin in his face.

After a few minutes of silence, Crystal joined Gold on the ground. "It's really pretty," she commented. "The sky, I mean."

"Really?" Gold remarked. "Because I was kind of thinking of something else."

Crystal turned her head to look at her boyfriend, who had a small smile tugging at the side of his mouth. "What?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Gold smiled, looking up at the sky. "I was thinking that the sky wasn't quite as beautiful as the girl lying next to me," he commented. "You're right, you know. Today was really fun. We should try to do it together again sometime… no that's what she said joke here," he amended as an afterthought.

"Was that your moment of cheesiness for the day?" Crystal teased him, though her cheeks turned a little pink at the compliment he paid her.

"Sadly, yes." Gold grinned, turning his head to look at her now. "You'll have to pay for the next one."

The two of them settled into comfortable silence once again, both wrapped up in thoughts and dreams and contemplations. A Murkrow croaked nearby, the sound rippling through the serene quiet like a pebble hitting the surface of the water.

Crystal heaved a deep sigh. "The sky is just so beautiful," she said again. "Honestly can you imagine it? Everything we do, the sky can see. Somewhere underneath this sky, someone's doing the exact same thing we are."

"You're such a romantic," Gold drawled, "but I suppose maybe that's why I love you."

"Seriously though! Imagine. Somewhere in the Sinnoh region, this same blue sky is looking down on Diamond and Pearl and Platina."

"I doubt that, Pearl had a rather nasty case of sunburn last night when I saw him on videophone…"

"Well. You get the gist of it." Crystal let her fingers rest on Gold's.

There was a pause, before Crystal simply breathed, "It's so _big_."

Gold couldn't resist- the laughter was building inside of him- so he burst out with a guffaw: "THAT'S WHAT SHE-"

-and was promptly surprised when Crystal shut him up with a kiss instead. Dazed, he could only stare at his girlfriend as she pulled away from him. "What was that for?" he stammered.

She only rolled her eyes as she got up from where she was sitting, brushing off her clothes. "It was the only way to get you to shut up."

"Maybe I should make more jokes like that," Gold mused thoughtfully, already coming up with the next joke in his head.

Crystal only shook her head. "Don't try your luck."

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As always, reviews are much appreciated :) Much love!


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